President appoints two members to High Council of Justice

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Vitaliy Makhinchuk and Maksym Saviuk to the positions of members of the High Council of Justice (HCJ), the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration has said.

"This decision is an important step to ensure the full-fledged work of the High Council of Justice, a body that plays a significant role in the democratic system of Ukraine. The effective work of the High Council of Justice is, among other things, related to the implementation of the Roadmap on the rule of law. Strengthening the rule of law is an integral part of Ukraine's movement towards EU membership as one of the Copenhagen criteria and a key element of negotiation chapters 23 and 24," the office said in a statement.

It is noted that the High Council of Justice currently consists of 17 members, but envisages a 21st member. Therefore, four more seats remain vacant.

Makhinchuk is PhD in Law, Professor, Deputy Director for Scientific Work of the Academician Burchak Research Institute of Private Law and Entrepreneurship of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, Honored Lawyer of Ukraine, member of the Scientific Advisory Council under the Supreme Court, deputy member of the Advisory Group of Experts.

Saviuk is Detective of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine. The main area of ​​activity is the investigation of criminal corruption offenses committed in the justice system and in prosecutor's offices. He worked for over ten years in the Court of Appeal of Ivano-Frankivsk region, according to the Telegram channel of the Supreme Court of Ukraine.

The High Council of Justice is a collegial, independent constitutional body of state power and judicial governance that operates in Ukraine on a permanent basis to ensure the independence of the judiciary, its functioning on the principles of responsibility, accountability to society, the formation of an honest and highly professional corps of judges, compliance with the norms of the Constitution and laws of Ukraine, as well as professional ethics in the activities of judges and prosecutors.