KYIV, Oct 29 - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy Thursday called for replacing all judges at the Constitutional Court, a day after its controversial ruling had threatened to derail Ukraine’s anti-graft reform and undermine relations with international donors.

The high court’s ruling declared it unconstitutional to hold officials criminally liable for providing false information on asset declarations. It also struck down several powers of the National Agency for Preventing Corruption (NAZK).

Zelenskiy reacted by submitting a bill to Parliament that calls for declaring the latest ruling null and void, and follows with the call to completely reshuffle the court.

The bill, however, may open door for a constitutional crisis in Ukraine. The constitution states a ruling by the court cannot be reversed. Also, it does not allow terminating judges unless they agree to resign.

Meanwhile, four judges are currently under investigation by the NAZK for failing to properly declare assets in their declarations. These judges did not recuse themselves from the case, despite calls to do so from the government and anti-corruption campaigners.

In the bill, Zelenskiy argued that the ruling had not been properly substantiated and had been “manipulated.”

"Therefore, there is a need to ensure the preservation of European and Euro-Atlantic choice of Ukrainian society, compliance with the rule of law by constitutional bodies, eliminate the threat to national security of Ukraine and ensure compliance with the rule of law established by the Constitution of Ukraine," according to the bill.

Ukraine’s patchy performance on reforms and tackling entrenched corruption has derailed a $5 billion program agreed in June with the International Monetary Fund at a time its economy is in sharp downturn due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The European Union’s delegation to Kyiv warned that its financial assistance was tied to Ukraine’s performance on corruption.

“We will not have money. We will not have support. Projects on which agreement was reached will be cancelled, as well as World Bank support. We will have a big hole in the budget,” Zelenskiy said in a statement.

The United States, Canada, Britain and the European Union have backed Ukraine with aid and sanctions on Russia after the 2014 Maidan street protests that ousted a Kremlin-backed leader, but repeatedly pressed Kyiv to quicken the pace of reforms.

“The G7 ambassadors are alarmed by efforts to undo the anti-corruption reforms that followed the Revolution of Dignity,” said a statement. “Too much progress has been made, Ukraine must not go back to the past.”

In a separate statement, the EU said the court decision “calls into question a number of international commitments which Ukraine assumed in relation to its international partners, including the EU.” (tl/rt/ez)