Oleksiy Shevchuk, chairman of the National Association of Lobbyists of Ukraine and a well-known attorney, issued a statement in which he warned of a threat to the normal functioning of the High Council of Justice due to the artificial obstruction of the selection process by certain influential groups. According to him, certain entities acting as foreign agents are attempting to halt the work of the selection committee responsible for forming the new composition of the High Council of Justice under the parliamentary quota. 

Shevchuk noted that a series of frivolous technical complaints had been filed against him, aimed at preventing him from advancing to the final stage of the selection process. He emphasized that the Qualification and Disciplinary Commission of the Kyiv Region Bar Association has no legal grounds whatsoever to consider these complaints, since he is currently an official of a self-governing body. In addition, the candidate recalled that similar claims and complaints from the same parties had already been the subject of court proceedings, and that the Supreme Court of Ukraine had previously issued a final ruling finding no grounds for granting them, completely refuting the prejudicial facts that had been used to try to block him during the previous competition under the President’s quota.

“It is interesting that this has happened again during the competition for the High Council of Justice; the group of complainants is the same, and the group of those attempting to issue a decision against me—despite the Supreme Court’s ruling—consists of the very same individuals. This is the same commission composition as in the Kyiv region. This points to a systematic effort to block my participation in the competition, since I am one of the most likely winners in this race, and only two of the 26 candidates will make it to the final round,” Shevchuk stated.