Ukrainian president dismisses two judges of constitutional court

Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko has signed decrees to dismiss two judges of the country's Constitutional Court over "oath violations," local media reported Tuesday.

Judge Valeriy Pshenichny and Judge Syuzanna Stanyk were sacked for improper behaviors, and the president's decision was well-founded and constitutional, Yushchenko's Information Office said.

The two judges entered the Constitutional Court when former President Leonid Kuchma was in office. They took up deputy chief positions at roughly the same time.

Stanyk was accused of corruption and abuse of power by an opposition MP on April 20, but the Prosecutor General's Office did not believe the accusation.

The incident came at a time when the Constitutional Court was discussing the legality of a presidential decree issued on April 2, which ordered the dissolution of the parliament and called for early parliamentary elections.

The Constitutional Court, established in October 1996, is an 18-member board, which decides on the legality of presidential orders and monitors governmental decision-making bodies.

Source: Xinhua