The President of Ukraine

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine

Members of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee

on Preventing and Combating Corruption

On this occasion, we express our high regard for you and appeal to take into account the position of NGOs as well as human rights defenders and civil society activists regarding the candidates for the office of a member of the commission to conduct external control of the effectiveness of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.

According to Art. 26 of the Law of Ukraine “On the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine”, the independent evaluation (audit) of the effectiveness of the National Bureau’s activities, its operational and institutional independence is conducted annually. It also includes selective audits of criminal proceedings, pre-trial investigations of which were carried out by the National Bureau and completed.

This evaluation (audit) is conducted by the commission to conduct external control, composed of three members. The President of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine annually determine one member of the commission from among persons with extensive experience in pre-trial investigation, prosecution, courts abroad or international organizations, who have the necessary knowledge and skills to carry out such an evaluation (audit) and have an impeccable reputation.

Given the mentioned above, we express our support for candidates that have been nominated by the NGO “Congress of Ethnic Communities of Ukraine” for the office of a member of the commission to conduct external control of the effectiveness of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine:

1. Oleksandra Yanovska

Doctor of Law, Professor of the Department of Justice of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Expert of the Council of Europe and other international organizations.

Ad hoc judge at the European Court of Human Rights.

Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Ukrainian National Bar Association. Chairman of the Chamber of Kyiv City Qualification Disciplinary Bar Commission.

The candidate for the office of a judge of the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Ukraine (according to the results of the contest, she received the highest scores among all candidates).

2. Serhii Honcharenko

Professor, lawyer, head of the Department of Human Rights, International and European Law at the Academy of Advocacy of Ukraine.

Ad hoc judge at the European Court of Human Rights.

Vice President of the Union of Advocates of Ukraine.

Honored Lawyer of Ukraine.

3. Arkadiy Buschenko

Lawyer, one of the most prominent human rights defenders of Ukraine, expert of international organizations.

Executive Director of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union (since 2012). Member of the Advisory Council under the Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights. Deals with Ukrainian captives’ proceedings in the European Court of Human Rights.

For a long time, he worked with the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group as a legal expert and led the Strategic Litigation Center, on account of which about 60 court victories in the European Court of Human Rights. In 2007, he was a candidate for the office of a judge to the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Ukraine.

4. Mirjana LazarovaTrajkovska

Lawyer, attorney, expert of international organizations.

In 2008, she was chosen for the European Court of Human Rights (in respect of Macedonia). In 2015, she was President of the Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights.

Expert of the Council of Europe. Member of the Venice Commission.

President of the State Election Commission of Macedonia (2002-2003).

Judge of the Constitutional Court of Macedonia (2003-2008).

We emphasize that each of these candidates fully meets the requirements to members of the commission for external control, defined by the Law of Ukraine “On National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine”, has practical knowledge and experience, excellent business and professional reputation, enjoys public respect and support, and therefore can adequately perform assigned by law duties of evaluation (audit) of the effectiveness of the National Bureau, its operational and institutional independence.

Once again, we prove our high respect and hope that you take into account our positions and recommendations to the selection of the commission members to conduct external control of the effectiveness of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.

Sincerely yours,

Oleksandr Pavlichenko, Chairman of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union

Yevhen Zakharov, Director of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group

Eskender Bariiev, Chairman of the Crimean Tatar resource center

Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties

Borys Zakharov, Chairman of the Board of Humanitarian Studio “Khvylia” [“Wave”]

Roman Martynovskyi, the Regional Center for Human Rights