Review

The Government of Ukraine lodged two declarations under article 12(3) of the Rome Statute accepting the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction over crimes committed on Ukrainian territory. On 25 April 2014, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court opened a preliminary examination of the situation in Ukraine. During the preliminary examination stage there are no circumstances which could avoid cooperation between Ukraine and ICC. At once Ukrainian Code of Criminal Procedure contains some gaps which could block cooperation at the stage of investigation and prosecution. In particular, national legislation allows cooperation between Ukraine and international criminal courts (tribunals) only if exist some international treaty which regulate such cooperation.

Consequently cooperation between Ukraine and International Criminal Court needs the strengthening at national level. The Government of Ukraine prepared draft bill which contains all necessary amendments to the Ukrainian Code of Criminal Procedure. Unfortunately the draft bill was blocked by Verkhovna Rada Committee on Legislative Support of Law Enforcement.

The purpose of this article is to analyze criticism of the above mentioned draft bill.

The Committee especially insists on unconstitutionality of the draft bill by appealing to the Opinion of the Constitutional court of Ukraine on the conformity of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court with the Constitution of Ukraine (the Rome Statute case). In this opinion Constitutional Court of Ukraine declared the principle of complementarity, as set forth in the Rome Statute, to be in conflict with the Ukrainian Constitution. However the Committee’s position is unconvincing for a wide variety of reasons. Firstly, it ignores most recent constitutional amendments which allow to ratify the Rome Statute. Secondly, there is reason to believe that Constitutional Court of Ukraine has already revised its opinion about unconstitutionality of the the principle of complementarity.

References

1. 1. Konstytutsiia Ukrainy [Constitution of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy vid 28.06.1996 № 254k/96-VR data zvernennia 16.04.2018 (in Ukrainian).
2. Kryminalnyi protsesualnyi kodeks Ukrainy [Criminal Procedural Code of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy vid 13.04.2012 № 4651–17. Baza danykh «Zakonodavstvo Ukrainy» / VR Ukrainy data zverennia 16.04.2018 (in Ukrainian).
3. 1 Утім, стаття 20(3) РС передбачає певні винятки з даного правила, які зводяться до випадків, коли судовий розгляд заздалегідь мав за мету запобігти кримінальній відповідальності особи за злочини, віднесені до юрисдикції МКС, або коли процедура судового розгляду не відповідала цілі здійснення правосуддя щодо певної особи.
4. Proekt Zakonu Ukrainy «Pro vnesennia zmin do deiakykh zakonodavchykh aktiv Ukrainy shchodo spivrobitnytstva z Mizhnarodnym kryminalnym sudom» № 7179 [Bill on Amendments to several Legislative Acts of Ukraine regarding cooperation with International Criminal Court № 7179] (Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine) data zverennia 16.04.2018 (in Ukrainian).
5. Opinion of the Constitutional Court on the conformity of the Rome Statute with the Constitution of Ukraine, Case N1–35/2001 (2001) Constitutional Court of Ukraine accessed 16.04.2018 (in English).
6. Association Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Ukraine, of the other part (adopted 27 June 2014, entered into force 01 September 2017) accessed 03.06.2018 (in English).
7. Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (adopted 17 July 1998, entered into force 01 July 2002) 2187 UNTS90 (in English).
8. Embassy of Ukraine to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Declaration pursuant to article 12(3) of the Rome Statute (9 April 2014) accessed 16.04.2018 (in English).
9. Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Declaration pursuant to article 12(3) of the Rome Statute (8 September 2015) accessed 16.04.2018 (in English).
10. UNSC Res 827 (25 May 1993) UN Doc S/RES/827 (1993) (in English).
11. Zadoya K P, Zmitsnennia spivrobitnytstva mizh Ukrainoiu ta Mizhnarodnym kryminalnym sudom: natsionalnyi vymir [Strengthening cooperation between Ukraine and International Criminal Court: a national dimension] (2017) 4 Visnyk kryminalnoho sudochynstva 27 (in Ukrainian).
12. Gnatovsky M M, Ukraina ta Mizhnarodnyi kryminalnyi sud: konstytutsiinyi aspekt [Ukraine and the International Criminal Court: a constitutional matter] data zverennia 16.04.2018 (in Ukrainian).
13. Pashkovskyi М І, Vysnovok za zapytom Ministerstva yustytsii Ukrainy shchodo bachennia vidpovidnosti Konstytutsii Ukrainy Rymskoho statutu Mizhnarodnoho kryminalnoho sudu [Opinion on request of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine on the conformity of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court with the Constitution of Ukraine] _%D0%9C.%D0%86._%D0%92%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%BA_.
14. pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y> data zverennia 16.04.2018 (in Ukrainian).
15. Conference of European Constitutional Courts. General Report of the XIVth Congress accessed 16.04.2018 (in English).
16. Komitet Verkhovnoi Rady Ukrainy z pytan zakonodavchoho zabezpechennia pravookhoronnoi diialnosti. Stenohrama zasidannia vid 14 bereznia 2018 roku [Verkhovna Rada Committee on Legislative Support of Law Enforcement. Transcript of proceedings, 2018 March, 14] data zverennia 16.04.2018 (in Ukrainian).
17. Komitet Verkhovnoi Rady Ukrainy z pytan zakonodavchoho zabezpechennia pravookhoronnoi diialnosti. Vysnovok shchodo Zakonu Ukrainy «Pro vnesennia zmin do deiakykh zakonodavchykh aktiv Ukrainy shchodo spivrobitnytstva z Mizhnarodnym kryminalnym sudom» [Verkhovna Rada Committee on Legislative Support of Law Enforcement. Opinion on the Bill on Amendments to several Legislative Acts of Ukraine regarding cooperation with International Criminal Court] data zverennia 16.04.2018 (in Ukrainian).
18. Holovne naukovo-ekspertnoho upravlinnia Verkhovnoi Rady Ukrainy. Vysnovok shchodo proektu Zakonu Ukrainy «Pro vnesennia zmin do deiakykh zakonodavchykh aktiv Ukrainy shchodo spivrobitnytstva z Mizhnarodnym kryminalnym sudom» [Central Scientific Experts Office of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Opinion on the Bill on Amendments to several Legislative Acts of Ukraine regarding cooperation with International Criminal Court] data zverennia 16.04.2018 (in Ukrainian).