Ukrainian President promises to establish the Anti-Corruption Court before the end of June
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko expressed confidence that the Anti-Corruption Court will be established in the first half of the year, possibly in May. He stated this in an interview with the German magazine Focus, which was shared on Twitter by the Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk.
"We want to accelerate the creation of an independent Anti-Corruption Court, and I am very confident that it will be possible to do this in the first half of the year, possibly in May," Poroshenko said, adding that Ukraine expects to receive a new tranche from the IMF afterwards.
On March 1, People's Deputies supported draft bill Number 7440 in the first reading. The bill was introduced by the President. The first deputy head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on legal policy and justice, MP Leonid Yemets expressed the opinion that the Verkhovna Rada could pass the bill on the Anti-Corruption Court as a whole in May.
A number of Ukraine’s international partners issued tough demands to Kyiv because of the presidential bill. The IMF stated that Poroshenko's draft law on the Anti-Corruption Court contradicts Ukraine's obligations. Later, the World Bank also put forward its demands, warning that $800 million was at stake.
The European Union also officially criticized the President because he allegedly submitted the Anti-Corruption Court bill, which contradicts the promises of Kyiv and the recommendations of the Venice Commission.