Ukraine Appoints 16 New Judges to High Anti-Corruption Court

President Volodymyr Zelensky recently appointed 16 new judges to the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) and its Appeals Chamber, according to documents released by his office on Friday, Aug. 21. The appointments were made to both the first instance and the Appeals Chamber, with 11 judges assigned to the former and five to the latter.

Bohdan Kryklyvenko, the Chief of Staff at the HACC, disclosed that 16 of the 17 selected candidates were confirmed, as the final nominee's paperwork was only submitted to the President's Office on Aug. 19. Kryklyvenko also mentioned that two current first-instance judges who qualified for the Appeals Chamber have not yet been formally appointed, granting them time to finalize their existing cases and avoid potential retrials.

Three more candidates are still in the selection phase at the High Qualification Commission of Judges. This expansion of the HACC's judicial staff is crucial for the EU's €50 billion ($58.4 billion) Ukraine Facility program, as meeting this reform benchmark unlocks between €250 million ($292 million) and €300 million ($350 million) in financial support, with the deadline originally set for the first quarter of 2025.

The delay in signing the appointment decrees by Zelensky resulted in a month-long delay, and the program allocates around €38 billion ($44.4 billion) for direct budgetary support, contingent on Kyiv meeting its reform indicators on schedule. Late implementation could lead to postponed disbursements or the permanent loss of designated funds.