The High Council of Justice Still Dismissed Judge Olena Halatina After Qualification Assessment by the HQCJ
The High Council of Justice dismissed Judge Olena Halatina of the Donetsk District Administrative Court following the results of a qualification assessment that found her unfit for the position she held.
The relevant decision was made during the meeting on June 25. The basis was a submission from the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine.
The HQCJ's conclusion stated that based on the qualification assessment of local court judges, Olena Oleksandrivna Halatina was recognized as unfit for the position she held.
The HCJ reminded that according to the transitional provisions of the Constitution of Ukraine, the assessment of judges appointed for a five-year term or elected as lifetime judges before the entry into force of the Law of Ukraine "On Amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine (Regarding Justice)" is conducted in the manner prescribed by law. Establishing unfitness for the position or refusal to undergo assessment is grounds for dismissal of a judge.
As previously reported by "Judicial and Legal Newspaper", by the Decree of the President of Ukraine dated June 2, 2007, Olena Halatina was appointed judge of the Donetsk District Administrative Court for a five-year term. In 2012, the Verkhovna Rada elected her to this position for life.
In 2018, the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine initiated the procedure of qualification assessment of the judge for compliance with the position. Based on the assessment results, on November 14, 2023, the HQCJ recognized Olena Halatina as unfit for the position and submitted a proposal to the HCJ for her dismissal.
Grounds for the HQCJ decision
Among the key allegations against the judge were systematic violations of legislation requirements regarding integrity and professional ethics:
- regular trips to temporarily occupied territories while simultaneously making and signing court decisions with an electronic digital signature;
- failure to declare property and income (including a land plot, rights to use property, and receiving funds from parents to purchase a 2020 BMW X6);
- making court decisions on days when, according to registries, the judge was absent from the workplace or was outside the controlled territory;
- other circumstances which, in the Commission's opinion, negatively affect public trust in the judiciary.
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