· The Council of Judges, which is the ‘executive arm’ of the College
of Judges, is possibly subordinate to the HJC, but in fact seems to
exercise greater authority over the SJA than the HJC, and acts
rather independently. .
· Qualifying Commissions, tasked with assessing the qualifications
of judicial nominees, are reported to generally make decisions
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based on political reasons or bribes paid, rather than on merits of
the candidates.
· The Verkhovna Rada Legal Committee is an important component
of the system, being the source of oversight and legislative drafting
for the judicial system, including substantive and organizational
laws.
· The Office of the Ombudsman is staffed with judicial and
prosecutorial personnel, but most respondents consider it lacking
any real power to investigate and follow up on complaints from
citizens.
· The Ministry of Justice is very active under the current Ministry,
seeking to take the initiative in judicial training, human rights
protection, provision of legal defense for indigent and poor
persons, and many other functions now, theoretically carried out
by the SJA.