VAM 3.0 united law students in the investigation of top corruption

On Nov. 16-18, 2023, the third All-Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Moot Court (VAM 3.0) was held in Lviv. This is an educational project aimed at improving theoretical knowledge of criminal law, practical skills in the process of investigating corruption crimes and considering the case in court, as well as increasing the awareness of young people about the problems of corruption.

"VAM is one of the few events that help future lawyers acquire the skills that will really be needed in the field of corruption prevention. Such projects give students the opportunity to learn more about the law enforcement system, justice in criminal cases and criminal justice in general," said Serhii Lankin, a participant of the event.

153 teams from 23 regions of Ukraine and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea took part in the All-Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Moot Court 3.0. The largest number of representatives are from Kyiv (33 teams), Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions (31 teams), and the Lviv region (24 teams) is in fourth place.

"It is very important that in our reality, young people are oriented towards resistance and the fight against corruption. With such events as the All-Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Moot Court, we encourage students to become increasingly interested in this issue. It will also enable the growth of future specialists and experts of anti-corruption agencies," said Viktoriia Yehorova, an analyst for the development of transparent services, UNDP in Ukraine.

After solving the situational case online, the 10 best teams were selected and continued to compete in Lviv. The knowledge and skills of the participants of the third All-Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Moot Court were assessed by experienced lawyers. The judges of the search stage were NABU detectives, SAPO prosecutors, representatives of the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative, and teachers of UCU and Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. Students were evaluated by HACC judges, representatives of the NACP, the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative, and the Centre of Policy and Legal Reform for presenting their positions at a court hearing regarding civil forfeiture.

Allan Pagh Kristensen, Head of the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative, joined the opening of VAM 3.0: "Ukrainian youth are the driver of changes in the country and are responsible for its future development. We are grateful to our partners, specialists from anti-corruption agencies, courts and institutions of higher education, who share their professional experience with students and spread anti-corruption values."

Over the course of three days, the participants attended trainings by NABU detectives on conducting searches in top corruption cases, as well as HACC judges and NACP representatives on civil forfeiture procedures. In the semi-finals, teams competed in conducting a search and participating in court hearings in a civil forfeiture case. The final game was a court debate in a criminal case.

"Exceptional level of team preparation! And this is not surprising, because a generation that has real values is growing up. They are ready to build a new society, intolerant of corruption and sensitive to justice. I like it and it's inspiring," senior detective Viktor Yarema said after the search results.

Supreme Court judge Dmytro Hudyma was a special guest of the All-Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Moot Court 3.0, who actively talked with students about the values and cultivation of virtues in citizens as a means to reduce the level of corruption. The winner of the competition was the collective team of students from Ivan Franko National University of Lviv and UCU "RONAVI", which received the main prize - an internship in the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative, the leading anti-corruption program in Ukraine.

The All-Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Moot Court was organized by NABU, NACP, HACC, SAPO, UKU with the assistance of UNDP in Ukraine within the framework of the EU4Recovery project with the financial support of the EU and with the support of the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI), the leading anti-corruption program in Ukraine, financed by the EU, co-financed and implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.