Although judicial independence exist in principle, in practise there is little separation of juridical and political powers. Judges are subjected to pressure by political and business interests. Ukraine's court system is widely regarded as corrupt. A Ukrainian Justice Ministry 2009 survey revealed that only 10 percent of respondents trusted the nation’s court system. Less than 30 percent believed that it’s still possible to get a fair trial. Ukrainian politicians and analyst have described the system of justice in Ukraine as "rotten to the core" and have complained about political pressure put on judges and corruption. Ukrainian judges have been arrested while taking bribe.

Court judges maintained a 99.5 percent conviction rate from 2005 till 2008, equal to the conviction rate of the Soviet Union. Suspects are often incarcerated for long periods before trial.