On 13 December, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the presidential draft law 5369 on the liquidation of the Kyiv District Administrative Court (KDAC). Instead, the Kyiv City Administrative Court is to be established.
In total, 310 MPs voted for the law, according to LB sources in the Verkhovna Rada. The interlocutors of LB on the eve of the vote predicted that "there will be only the first reading because Batkivshchyna and OPFL are "against" the vote in general".
The MP explained the fact of voting for the law as a whole by the constitutional majority: "even the groups of the former OPFL voted in favour... There was no need for an ultimatum. The US decision to include Vovk in the sanctions list actually removed all the authorities' doubts on whether they will have to do it later under pressure if they do not do it now."
The President submitted draft law 5369 to the Parliament on 13 April 2021. The explanatory note to it stated that in the summer of 2020, the required 25,000 citizens signed a petition demanding the liquidation of the KDAC.
"Under the requirements of the Constitution of Ukraine, the Head of State held consultations with the High Council of Justice on the liquidation of the Kyiv District Administrative Court. In its advisory opinion of 4 March 2021, the High Council of Justice did not express a position on support or non-support of the draft law, noting that "the implementation of this draft law is not possible until the establishment and commencement of the work of the authorized composition of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine, since the transfer of judges from liquidated to newly created courts can take place only on the basis and within the recommendations of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine," the note says.
Last night, MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak of the Holos (Voice) faction reported that the relevant "Legal Committee had considered two laws 5369 (and 5370) on the elimination of the corrupt DACK. It even approved them as a basis and in general... And they even say that soon they will be considered in the Parliament. We are looking forward to it," he wrote.
His colleague in the faction, MP Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, recalled that "NABU notified the Chairman of the KDAC Pavlo Vovk of suspicion of creating a criminal organization and seizing state power 2.5 years ago - on 17 July 2020. On 13 April 2021, the criminal activities of the KDAC became so obvious to society that the President could not but react and submitted to the Parliament an urgent draft law on the KDAC liquidation. Today is 1 year 8 months (20 months anniversary) since the Parliament should have immediately liquidated the most corrupt court of Ukraine, but did not do it. On 9 December, our American partners decided to remind Ukraine that the internal enemies are attacking the state no worse than the Russians - if not acting in collusion with those," said the parliamentarian.
The Kyiv District Administrative Court was notorious for scandalous decisions. One of the latest is the removal of the monument status from the Flowers of Ukraine building, which actually allows the developer to demolish this modernist building.
The United States has recently imposed sanctions against the head of the court, Pavlo Vovk. This step was taken due to the revealed fact of him extorting bribes in exchange for interference in court cases.