Ukraine president signs decree to suspend constitutional court judge for 2 months

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a decree on Tuesday to suspend the head of the Constitutional Court, Oleksandr Tupytskyi, for two months. Ukrainian prosecutors said on Monday they were investigating Tupytskyi in connection with the suspected bribery of a witness. Zelenskiy in October had asked parliament to dissolve the court, prompting Tupytskyi to accuse the president of a "constitutional coup".

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a decree on Tuesday to suspend the head of the Constitutional Court, Oleksandr Tupytskyi, for two months.

Ukrainian prosecutors said on Monday they were investigating Tupytskyi in connection with the suspected bribery of a witness. "I am signing this decree in order to restore justice and resolve the constitutional crisis," Zelenskiy said, according to a statement on the presidential website.

Tupytskyi could not immediately be reached for comment, but his office said in a statement this week that only the Constitutional Court itself had the powers to dismiss one of its judges. The court became a battleground for Ukraine's reform agenda after it struck down anti-corruption legislation in October, thereby hobbling the government's chances of securing new loans from the International Monetary Fund.

Parliament voted to reinstate the legislation in December, paving the way for new IMF talks. Zelenskiy in October had asked parliament to dissolve the court, prompting Tupytskyi to accuse the president of a "constitutional coup".