Illegal enrichment: perspectives from Zhylianskaya

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Author: Oleksandr Yevsieiev

DOI: 10.21128/1812-7126-2019-3-127-140

Keywords: burden of proof; Constitutional Court of Ukraine; corruption offenses; Euromaidan; illegal enrichment; legal uncertainty

Abstract

This article analyzes judgment no.1-r/2019 of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine from February 26, 2019, which abolished criminal liability for illegal enrichment. The article provides a general description of both the socio-political environment and the courtroom atmosphere in which this judgment was adopted. This article criticizes number of procedural tricks, especially that the trickts were used by judges to prevent their condemnation from civic society and protect their personal records. Special attention is paid to the international standards of the fight against corruption, which are enshrined in various conventions. Being able to appeal to such international conventions would allow the Court to strengthen its position. The author conducts a detailed analysis of the argumentation of the final decision, consistently isolating the motives that led the Court to its corresponding conclusions. These arguments are investigated using a comparative legal method, which contributes to their deeper understanding and reflection. A conclusion is made about the expediency of using a constitutionally conforming interpretation in this case, which would allow the Court, without recognizing the contested norm to be unconstitutional, to nevertheless prevent a number of possible risks associated with the application of this norm in practice. In general, it emphasizes a higher standard of rights and freedoms laid down in the Constitution of Ukraine compared with some European countries. Projections are made regarding the success of the constitutionally approved task of fighting corruption in the new political environment, in which Ukraine will find itself in the aftermath of the presidential elections of 2019.

About the author: Oleksandr Yevsieiev – Candidate of Sciences (Ph. D.) in Law, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia.

Citation: Yevsieiev O. (2019) Nezakonnoe obogashchenie: vzglyad s Zhilyanskoy: Kommentariy k Resheniyu Konstitutsionnogo Suda Ukrainy ot 26 fevralya 2019 goda No1-r/2019 [Illegal enrichment: perspectives from Zhylianskaya: Commentary to the decision no.1-r/2019 of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine from February 26, 2019]. Sravnitel'noe konstitutsionnoe obozrenie, vol.28, no.3, pp.127–140. (In Russian).

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