Ukraine defines results and next steps in the fight against corruption

On December 9, the International Anti-Corruption Day, representatives of the state, anti-corruption bodies, public figures, and international partners took part in the Seven Years of Anti-Corruption Reform conference.

"Cooperation between anti-corruption bodies is extremely important. Join forces when possible. The interaction of participants will make us more effective than ever," said the head of EUACI Allan Pag Christensen. "We're glad to promote cooperation within the created infrastructure. One example is the EUACI-supported eCase Management system, which provides digital work with criminal proceedings and connects NABU, SAPO, and HACC. This is a unique system with huge potential."

The conference highlighted the main achievements of anti-corruption reform over 7 years, including the following:

• 358 people were charged as a result of the NABU investigation (as of December 2021), another 666 people were reported as suspects.
• The NAPC Register of Declarations is the largest database on the wealth of officials in the world. The registry also contains a module for automatic verification of declarations, which helps to quickly identify violations.
• The High Anti-Corruption Court has passed 56 verdicts as a court of the first instance against 59 people, 189 criminal proceedings are pending.

NAPC Chairperson Oleksandr Novikov stressed that the national agency had introduced major changes in the last two years after the reset: "We are the second country in the world after the United States to monitor the lifestyle of officials. Thanks to the information collected during this monitoring, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office appealed to the High Anti-Corruption Court, and for the first time in its history, Ukraine has had a case of confiscation of unjustified assets worth over one million hryvnias. And most importantly: since May 2021, the declarations have revealed inaccurate information for UAH 1 billion."

During the discussion, the director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine Artem Sytnyk stressed that the anti-corruption infrastructure in Ukraine had been formed and, despite attempts to shake their independence, anti-corruption bodies continue to work effectively. "No official involved in corruption, regardless of political affiliation or position, has a guarantee that they will not be prosecuted," Artem Sytnyk said.

During the conference, representatives of civil society and anti-corruption bodies presented their views on the challenges and prospects of the fight against corruption. Including:

1. the need to adopt a national anti-corruption strategy;
2. unfinished competition for the position of SAPO head;
3. the need to hold a transparent competition for the election of future heads of NABU and ASAMA (Asset Search and Asset Management Agency).

The conference was organized by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) with the support of the European Union Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI) and the USAID Support to Anti-Corruption Champion Institutions in Ukraine (SACCI).