Ukraine's Constitutional Court Postpones Hearings On Lustration Law

KYIV -- Ukraine's Constitutional Court has postponed hearings on a law aimed at firing civil servants who have been linked to corruption under the rule of ousted President Viktor Yanukovych's government.

The head of the Constitutional Court, Yuriy Baulin, told reporters in Kyiv on April 16 that the hearings would take place after revisions and amendments were made to the law on lustration.

Baulin said dates for the hearings would be announced after justices study the conclusions of legal experts, including the Venice Commission, an advisory body of the Council of Europe.

The hearings had been scheduled to begin on April 16.

The lustration law, adopted by Ukraine's parliament in September, would subject about 1 million civil servants to screening -- including some members of the Constitutional Court.

Ukraine's Supreme Court and 47 lawmakers referred the legislation to the Constitutional Court, urging it to rule on whether it violates Ukraine's constitution.