After being mired in corruption and political scandals for decades, Ukraine’s critically important Constitutional Court is now facing an attempt at reform, although its success is far from guaranteed. The issue took center stage when the reform of the Constitutional Court became one of the European Union’s key conditions for Ukraine’s membership after the country became a candidate for the bloc in June 2022. According to the law, international experts will take part in the selection of new Constitutional Court judges to make sure that they are independent and comply with integrity standards.
The Justice Ministry of Ukraine has appealed to the competent authorities of the Republic of Austria for the extradition of former Chairman of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Oleksandr Tupytsky to Ukraine, a Red Notice for detention of Tupytsky has been issued through INTERPOL, a law enforcement source told Interfax-Ukraine.
Former head of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Oleksandr Tupytsky, accused in Ukraine of a number of criminal offenses, has been put on the international wanted list, the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) has said.
Six judges of the Constitutional Court are now blocking its work, putting forward a demand to ensure participation in hearings of the Court's chair Oleksandr Tupytsky who was earlier dismissed. They demand that the sacked chair be allowed to partake in hearings.