All-Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Moot Court: NABU Anti-Corruption School graduates successfully implement their first project
The All-Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Moot Court brought together experts and fans of criminal law and procedure from all over Ukraine. The participants learned how anti-corruption bodies work, joined an investigation into top-level graft as well as the daily fight of NABU Detectives and SAPO Prosecutors against corruption.
The moot court took place Nov. 19-21 in Kharkiv and was organized by graduates of the NABU Anti-Corruption School 2021 in partnership with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the European Union Anti-Corruption Initiative in Ukraine (EUACI) with the support of the Yaroslav Mudryi National University of Law.
“It is important for EUACI to support young professionals and their initiatives. We hope that the knowledge about the work of detectives, prosecutors, and judges will inspire students to make a significant contribution to the development of the anti-corruption system in Ukraine,” Senior Anti-Corruption Adviser Elena Konceviciute said at the opening ceremony.
65 teams representing 17 universities from 14 regions applied to take part in the competition. They had to pass the qualifying round involving the correct classification of a top-corruption crime, drafting an investigation plan and a defense strategy. As a result, 8 teams made it through to the final offline stage in Kharkiv.
In the semi-final, students took part in simulated searches and hearings on measures of restraint; in the final – competed in court debates. Fiat iustitia team from the Yaroslav Mudryi National University of Law got the victory. The winners were invited to join the NABU Anti-Corruption School next summer.
“The highlight of the moot court was the participation of experts for whom the criminal legislation is not just a theory, but what they deal with on a daily basis. The goal of bringing the whole process closer to reality was fully achieved by the organizers, while they managed to keep the warmth and atmosphere,” the winner Oleksandr Rusetskyj stressed.
The jury included the NABU Detectives, EUACI experts, a SAPO Prosecutor, the representatives of the HACC, the NAPC, ARMA, lawyers, and scholars.
“We were impressed by the high knowledge level, conscientious attitude to the preparation and exceptional motivation of the young people. We tried to offer tasks as close as possible to the real environment of investigations and trials for top-level corruption. I hope we’ve managed to encourage the participants to further involve in anti-corruption activities,” said Andrii Denysiuk, a judge of the moot court and senior detective of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.
The project is supported by the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI), a leading EU-funded anti-corruption support program in Ukraine, co-financed and implemented by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
