Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has proposed that the Supreme Council of Justice should be created to replace the High Council of Justice, which would have the authority to appoint, dismiss and punish judges.

According to draft amendments to the Constitution passed by the Ukrainian president over to the parliament, it is proposed that Article 131 of the current Constitution is outlined in a new form, according to which the Supreme Council of Justice is created in Ukraine. The council will submit proposals to the president on the appointment of judges, decide on their dismissal, agree to detain them, put them in jail, and disqualify or transfer judges.

"The Supreme Council of Justice will consist of 21 members and 10 of them are to be elected by the congress of judges of Ukraine among judges emeritus, two judges are appointed by the Ukrainian president, two – by the parliament, two by the congress of lawyers of Ukraine, two –by the Ukrainian Conference of Prosecutors and two by the congress of representatives of law schools," reads the document.

The Supreme Council of Justice would also include the Chair of the Supreme Court of Ukraine.

The tenure of members of the Supreme Council of Justice would be four years, with consecutive terms not allowed.

The president proposed that the parliament should be deprived of the right to agree the detention or arrest of judges, and the Supreme Council of Justice will be authorized to do this instead.

Judges cannot be punished for only issuing a ruling.

The draft amendments also propose that Ukrainian citizens will also be able to submit a Constitutional claim.