Зміст публікації
Civil society, media outlets, and public opinion leaders are urging the Prosecutor General to revoke Oleksii Shevchuk, an attorney with questionable professional reputation, appointed as a member of the Competitive Commission responsible for organizing and conducting the selection process for vacant leadership positions at the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
We respectfully ask our international partners to take note of this situation and to draw attention to it, encouraging appropriate measures to address the issue.
The appointment of reputable, experienced, and strong candidates from international partners to the Competitive Commission gives us hope, as their right to a decisive vote may be the only safeguard against potential abuses by Commission members appointed by the Prosecutor’s Office.
CONTEXT
Currently, the Competitive Commission responsible for organizing and conducting the selection process for vacant leadership positions at the SAPO is being formed (hereinafter – the Commission).
It is extremely important to ensure that the Commission is composed of members with an undisputed reputation and background, as the selection will include the Head of SAPO (following the end of Oleksandr Klymenko’s term in 2027), the First Deputy Head, and the Deputy Head of SAPO – the leadership responsible for setting the vector of the SAPO work.
According to the legislation, the Commission should consist of six members: three nominated by the Council of Prosecutors and three nominated by international partners. The final composition of the Commission must be approved by the Prosecutor General.
Given that the Council of Prosecutors failed to nominate a sufficient number of candidates, the Prosecutor General is authorized to determine the remaining members independently. In this context, by Order №405 of 23 December 2025, Oleksii Shevchuk, an attorney with a questionable reputation, was appointed as a member of the Commission under the Prosecutor General`s quota.
BACKGROUND OF OLEKSIY SHEVCHUK
Oleksiy Shevchuk is an attorney, whose fame is accompanied mostly by negative facts:
- In the past, he supported the “dictatorial laws of 16 January” (legislation adopted in 2014 during Viktor Yanukovych’s presidency aimed at restricting civil rights, criminalizing civil society organizations, etc.) and hosted his own program on Medvedchuk-affiliated TV channels (Medvedchuk is suspected of cooperating with the military-political leadership of the russian federation).
- Shevchuk has served as a defense lawyer for a number of high-profile figures, including in NABU cases, such as Onyshchenko, Dubnevych, Rosenblat, Bakhmatiuk, Kryukova, Kiva, etc. (those suspected of embezzlement, bribery, or politicians with russian ties)
- In 2023, Shevchuk was disbarred for violations of legal ethics. Earlier that year, his license had been suspended for three months over an offensive social media post about veteran and lawyer Masi Nayyem.
- He is the subject of a journalistic investigation on facilitating the illegal departure of men abroad through the “Shliakh” system. According to NGL journalists, more than 200 men left Ukraine and did not return.
SIGNS OF A VIOLATION OF LEGISLATION
According to Article 29-1 of the Law of Ukraine “On the Prosecutor’s Office”, members of the Commission must have an impeccable reputation, high professional and moral qualities, public authority, and integrity.
However, being the subject of journalistic investigations, facing disciplinary action as an attorney, supporting unconstitutional laws, and having a long history of working for pro-russian individuals demonstrates that such values and principles are incompatible with the responsibilities of serving on a Commission tasked with selecting candidates for leadership positions in SAPO.
Such a person should not be granted the right to vote or influence the outcome of the competitive selection. Moreover, it undermines the essence of competitive selection and public trust in the process. Allowing an obviously disreputable individual to join the Commission sets a dangerous precedent for future competitions in other institutions.
FURTHER DECISIONS EXPECTED
Despite the current Prosecutor General frequently communicating through official social media channels, he has so far remained silent, ignoring the public outcry over it.
Civil society is still awaiting a reasonable decision from the Prosecutor General to overturn his appointment of Oleksii Shevchuk. If this does not happen, we will appeal to the fully formed Commission, including international partners, to initiate a proposal for the early termination of Shevchuk’s powers.
According to Article 29-1 of the Law of Ukraine “On the Prosecutor’s Office”, Commission members may propose the early termination of a member’s powers in cases defined by the Commission’s Rules of Procedure (such proposal must be approved by the Prosecutor General). The Rules of Procedure will be adopted after the Commission is formed. We expect that these Rules will allow for the early termination of a member’s powers if they fail to meet the standards of impeccable reputation, high professional and moral qualities required by law.