Rada passes at second reading bill specifying jurisdiction of HACC cases

Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada has passed at second reading a bill specifying the procedure for the transport of criminal cases to the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC).

As the correspondent of the Interfax-Ukraine agency reports, 323 deputies voted in favor of president's bill (No. 1025) amending some legislative acts of Ukraine regarding the start of the work of the HACC at a session on Wednesday.

According to the proposed changes, the jurisdiction of the HACC provided for in the Code of Criminal Procedure as a court of lower instance, court of appeal and investigative judges applies to criminal proceedings, information on which was entered into the unified register of pretrial investigations from the date the law on amendments to some legislative acts of Ukraine regarding the start of work of the HACC takes effect. This court will have cases in jurisdiction placed on the unified register if the pretrial investigation is being carried out or was carried out by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and completed by prosecutors of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.

All petitions and indictments in these cases are submitted to the HACC investigating judges, and appeals – to the HACC Appeals Chamber. If the cases are not heard in the court of lower instance and the court of appeals before the entry into force of this law, such cases are handed to the HACC for hearing them in the manner prescribed in the law.

The law will enter into force the day after publication.