Review

This legal opinion examines the rules for notifying a judge of criminal suspicion under Art. 49(4) of the Law “On the Judiciary and Status of Judges” and Art. 481(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. By reviewing international and constitutional protections of judicial independence, the CPC’s special procedure and domestic case law, it establishes that only the Prosecutor General or their deputy may draft and serve a written notice of suspicion on a judge. Notification by any other prosecutor or investigator violates these provisions, fails to confer suspect status, and undermines the proceeding’s legal validity.