Changes to the Constitution should mean nether
the re-certification of current judges nor their actual legalization, but
examination of each judge, testing
and studying what verdicts the judge returned,
said Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk on Wednesday, February 3rd,
during the ceremony to launch rapid response service of the
patrol police in Bila Tserkva
in the Kyiv region.
The Head of Government stressed that the
judicial reform "is closely connected" to the reform of
the judiciary: "The police fulfil their constitutional
duty and arrest a criminal, fill all necessary papers
and pass the case to the court. And there sits the judge, who for a
bribe will tell you that there was no crime. The way it is happening daily.
Hence, such a judicial system discredits the
National Police. It discredits all
the reforms in the country".
Arseniy Yatsenyuk stressed that on
2 February it could have proved possible
to achieve first results in the process of eliminating corruption among judges.
He reminded that the day before the Parliament had
approved in first reading amendments to the Constitution, which
provide for recertification of judges.
"Yesterday we supported the stance
of the President and voted in first reading for amendments
to the Constitution. But this is only the first step, and such changes must be
voted for as a whole," he said.
"Such amendments
to the Constitution should not mean the re-certification of
current judges and their actual legalization, but examination of
each judge, testing and figuring out what verdicts the
judge returned. If he brought
wrongful sentences, he is fired.
To replace him there must come a new
judge, just like new police officers joined the Ukrainian
police", stressed the Prime Minister.