Ukraine makes gains in its other war - fighting corruption


 Full Video>>




Ukraine has battled endemic corruption since the first days of its independence in 1991, and government officials and independent campaigners alike say that fight is key to winning the existential war it is fighting with Russia.
They have had some success. Anti-corruption organisation Transparency International ranks Ukraine at its highest level since 2006: currently 104th out of 180 countries in its Corruption Perceptions Index.

"Most Ukrainian anti-corruption institutions are showing pretty good results," Andriy Borovyk, the executive director of Transparency International Ukraine, tells the BBC.
According to him, one such result is the arrest of the then-Supreme Court head, Vsevolod Knyazev, on bribery charges in May 2023.

"This can be a safeguard because if you see somebody arrested, you will think twice before doing something corrupt," he said.
There have been other high-profile arrests too, including agriculture minister Mykola Solsky and an officer with the SBU intelligence service, Artem Shylo.

All three deny any wrongdoing and have been released on bail. Investigations are ongoing.
Getty Images Protesters hold placards expressing their opinion during a rally denouncing corruption and calling for better funding of the Ukrainian armed forces in central KyivGetty Images
Protests in Kyiv have denounced corruption and demanded more funding for Ukraine's armed forces
A key milestone came in 2015, when a digital platform called Prozorro helped slash corruption in government procurement, saving Ukraine almost $6 billion (£4.7bn) in public funds in just four years.

Ukraine’s task now is to focus on rooting out corruption in its tax and customs services, as well as improve financial oversight, says Mr Borovyk.

"A lot of money is coming to Ukraine from the West, and of course they are asking whether there is proper control over this money,” he adds.
In addition to sapping Ukraine's meagre resources, corruption has in recent years hampered the flow of foreign aid. Donald Trump cited corruption concerns when challenged about delaying assistance to Ukraine when he was US president.

Corruption has also been a major obstacle to recruiting more men for the war with Russia. Last year President Volodymyr Zelensky sacked all regional officials in charge of military conscription amid bribery concerns. Thousands of Ukrainians also bribed their way out of the country to avoid being sent to the war.
'Better at doing our job'
Andriy Synyuk, deputy head of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecution Service, argues that frequent reports of Ukrainian officials being accused of corruption are a welcome sign.
"This doesn’t mean that more crimes are being committed. This means that we've become better at doing our job," he says.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CISPE Denies It Is Close to Deal Over Antitrust Complaint With Microsoft

Image
  Full Video>> (Reuters) -European trade group CISPE denied a report on Saturday that it was nearing a settlement with Microsoft to withdraw its antitrust complaint with the European Commission about the U.S. company's cloud computing licensing practices. CISPE, whose members include Amazon and 26 small EU cloud providers, filed a complaint with the European Commission in late 2022 alleging that Microsoft's new contractual terms were harming Europe's cloud computing ecosystem. Politico reported earlier that Microsoft was closing in on a multi-million euro deal with CISPE for it to drop its complaint, citing two unnamed sources. "These rumors are incorrect," said Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe, when contacted by Reuters about the Politico report. "Discussions between CISPE and Microsoft are ongoing, and while proposals have been made, no agreement has been reached." "Any offer will need to be submitted for acceptance to the a...
Read more

British man killed as London-Singapore flight hit by turbulence

Image
  Full Video >> A 73-year-old British man has died and more than 30 other people have been injured on a Singapore Airlines flight from London which was hit by severe turbulence. The Singapore-bound Boeing 777-300ER was diverted to Bangkok, making an emergency landing at 15:45 local time (08:45 GMT). Passengers said the aircraft suddenly dropped - and people and objects were thrown around the cabin. The flight was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew, Singapore Airlines said. It offered its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased, who has yet to be named. Authorities in Bangkok say the man probably died of a heart attack. His wife has been admitted to hospital, but her condition is unknown. LIVE: Follow all the latest news and updates “I was covered in coffee,” Andrew from London told BBC 5 Live. “During the few seconds of the plane dropping, there was an awful screaming and what sounded like a thud." Andrew said once the turbulence had settled, he had been able to h...
Read more