Ukraine president vetoes law on judges qualification commission

KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine’s president on Thursday asked parliament to amend a recently approved law that would re-establish a special commission on appointing judges, a key condition for more aid from Ukraine’s international partners.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy asked for the removal of some contradictions and inaccuracies that were included in the draft by lawmakers during its final reading in June.

The commission vets prospective judges to make sure they are respectable citizens and qualified to do their jobs, but its work was suspended by a Constitutional Court ruling in 2019.

Ukraine has committed to judicial reform as a way of tackling entrenched corruption and creating a more transparent and predictable environment for investors.

The law must be signed by the president to become effective.

“While supporting the need to resume the work of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine, I cannot agree with the approach proposed by the Law to address some issues,” Zelenskiy said in a statement.

In particular, he requested that judges should constitute a majority on the commission and that the means of ensuring the independence of the commission should be clarified.

Parliament can either accept Zelenskiy’s suggestions or at least 300 votes are needed to overcome his veto and keep the law as it is.

(Reporting by Natalia Zinets; Editing by Giles Elgood)