Oleksandr Volkov to be reinstated as Supreme Court Judge on 2 February

Mr. Volkov was dismissed from his position as Supreme Court Judge in Ukraine on 17 January 2010, under then President Viktor Yanukovych. On 9 January 2013, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that his dismissal was unlawful and was a flagrant denial of the natural course of justice. On 25th December the Verkhovna Rada voted with a majority of 257 to implement the judgment of the European Court and to abrogate its  resolution of 17 January 2010 concerning the dismissal of Mr. Volkov.

[ See http://lb.ua/news/2014/12/25/290572_rada_vosstanovila_volkova.html and http://www.bbc.co.uk/ukrainian/news_in_brief/2014/12/141225_vc_rada_volkov_court]

(Dutch translations below / Nederlands vertalingen onder dit bericht)

However it has taken until now, two years later, for this ruling to be implemented, and on Monday 2 February, Mr. Volkov will be reinstated to his former position.

Mr Volkov said of his upcoming reinstatement, ‘It took nearly two years and a change in the parliamentary makeup in order to have this part of the judgment executed. This shows again that the former regime, including the huge number of parliamentarians which supported it, never set any real goals aimed at the European integration of Ukraine, and did its best to obstruct European values and democratic standards…I am honoured to have the opportunity to support this [change] …, which would convert Ukraine into a truly democratic, lawfully governed, social state.’

The case is particularly significant in light of the regime change in Ukraine. Mr. Volkov has been working within President Poroshenko’s administration, and it is during a session on 25 December 2014 that the Verkhovna Rada voted overwhelmingly in favour of his reinstatement. Moreover, Volkov was the first case in which the European Court has ever ordered a person’s reinstatement. So it was a big test for both Ukraine and the Court. That he will actually be reinstated on Monday is incredibly important news for both parties. Previously the old regime had even cited the British anti-ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights) position in arguing against complying with this judgment.

Prof. Philip Leach, who represented Mr. Volkov at the European Court, said ‘It is a recurring and deeply regrettable problem that states frequently fail to comply with judgments of the European Court. This was the first case in which the Court has ordered that someone unfairly dismissed should be reinstated, and so it is very good news that Ukraine has complied and that Judge Volkov is back at the Supreme Court. However, substantial law reform, including constitutional changes, are still required as a result of the Strasbourg judgment so as to root out the systemic problems in the Ukrainian judicial system which the decision identified’.

 

Dutch translations:

(Het Europees hof acht ontslag onrechtmatig [http://lb.ua/news/2014/12/25/290572_rada_vosstanovila_volkova.html]
Verchovna Rada, het Oekraïense parlement, heeft een besluit genomen over de uitvoering van het arrest van het EHRM in de zaak “Aleksandr Volkov tegen Oekraïne”.
Vóór dit besluit hebben 257 gedeputeerden gestemd, het minimum aantal vereiste stemmen is 226.
Verchovna Rada heeft daarmee zijn besluit van 17 juni 2010 geannuleerd met betrekking tot het ontslag van Volkov als raadsheer bij de Hoge Raad.
In juni 2010 had de Verchovna Rada – voor het eerst in de geschiedenis van de Hoge Raad – één van de raadsheren ontslagen met de formulering “schending van de eed”. De beschuldigingen tegen Aleksandr Volkov kregen steun van 247 vertegenwoordigers van de parlementaire meerderheid. Volkov werd ervan beschuldig dat hij in cassatie vonnissen had herzien die door Igor Baranenko, een naast familielid (broer van zijn echtgenote), rechter van het hof voor de bestuursrechtspraak van Kiev, in eerste aanleg werden gewezen.
Volkov vocht zijn ontslag aan bij het EVRM dat in januari 2013 bepaalde dat Oekraïne het ontslag ongedaan dient te maken.
Sindsdien drong ook een reeks van  Europese instituties herhaaldelijk aan op de uitvoering van het EHRM-arest.

Verchovna Rada, het Oekraïense parlement, heeft het arrest van het Europese Hof voor de Rechten van de Mens (EHRM) uitgevoerd en heeft Volkov in de functie van raadsheer hersteld http://www.bbc.co.uk/ukrainian/news_in_brief/2014/12/141225_vc_rada_volkov_court
25 december 2014
De Verchovna Rada heeft Aleksandr Volkov, de raadsheer van de Hoge Raad, in functie hersteld. Het EHRM heeft eerder zijn ontslag onrechtmatig verklaard.
Doorslaggevend voor het EHRM was daarbij het argument dat de gedeputeerden die vóór het ontslag hadden gestemd, andermans stempassen hadden gebruikt. Daarmee hebben ze de Grondwet geschonden waarin de status van de gedeputeerde en het parlementaire reglement zijn geregeld.
Het arrest in de zaak “Volkov tegen Oekraine” was gepubliceerd op 9 januari 2013.
Daarin werd bepaald dat de Verchovna Rada in juni 2010 ten aanzien van het ontslag van de raadsheer Aleksandr Volkov onrechtmatig had gehandeld.
Het EHRM heeft bepaald dat Volkov in zijn functie hersteld dient te worden en een schadevergoeding van 18 duizend euro dient te krijgen.

However it has taken until now, two years later, for this ruling to be implemented, and on Monday 2 February, Mr. Volkov will be reinstated to his former position.

Mr Volkov said of his upcoming reinstatement, ‘It took nearly two years and a change in the parliamentary makeup in order to have this part of the judgment executed. This shows again that the former regime, including the huge number of parliamentarians which supported it, never set any real goals aimed at the European integration of Ukraine, and did its best to obstruct European values and democratic standards…I am honoured to have the opportunity to support this [change] …, which would convert Ukraine into a truly democratic, lawfully governed, social state.’

The case is particularly significant in light of the regime change in Ukraine. Mr. Volkov has been working within President Poroshenko’s administration, and it is during a session on 25 December 2014 that the Verkhovna Rada voted overwhelmingly in favour of his reinstatement. Moreover, Volkov was the first case in which the European Court has ever ordered a person’s reinstatement. So it was a big test for both Ukraine and the Court. That he will actually be reinstated on Monday is incredibly important news for both parties. Previously the old regime had even cited the British anti-ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights) position in arguing against complying with this judgment.

Prof. Philip Leach, who represented Mr. Volkov at the European Court, said ‘It is a recurring and deeply regrettable problem that states frequently fail to comply with judgments of the European Court. This was the first case in which the Court has ordered that someone unfairly dismissed should be reinstated, and so it is very good news that Ukraine has complied and that Judge Volkov is back at the Supreme Court. However, substantial law reform, including constitutional changes, are still required as a result of the Strasbourg judgment so as to root out the systemic problems in the Ukrainian judicial system which the decision identified’.