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ANTICORRUPTION NEWS
February 07, 2023
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Highlights of the week:
On February 3, the 24th EU-Ukraine Summit was concluded. The main takeaway of the summit is support at the highest level of prompt Ukrainian integration into the EU. Now it is time for the Ukrainian government to timely deliver the expected reforms. For instance, a joint statement sealed Ukraine’s commitment to amend the Law on Constitutional Court in the accordance with the most recent recommendations of the Venice Commission.
The same week, a few days before the launch of the Summit, in an attempt to show the drive to combat corruption the law enforcement authorities (the SBU, the SBI, and the BES) announced investigations and showed searches of several top officials and Igor Kolomoisky. Also, the leadership of the Customs Service was dismissed. We yet await for more information on actual charges and whether those cases will be effectively investigated in upcoming months. We carefully follow whether those investigations may intervene with the work of the NABU and the SAPO.
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What we are watching:The series of high-level dismissals and reshuffles in the Cabinet of Ministers is far from over. The leadership of the Servant of the People announced the change of leadership in several ministries including the Ministry of Defence as a response to the corruption allegations but later backtracked the decision. Thus, it is still not clear whether the changes will take place and what the new appointments will be. We are looking for qualitative leadership change, not just an attempt to temporarily please the public.
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Today's issue:
- MPs introduce the draft law on strengthening SAPO;
- Petition to restore asset declarations gained 25,000 signatures;
- NABU helped Dnipro City Council to recover airport from Kolomoisky;
- HACC confiscated titanium plant from Russian oligarch Shelkov;
- recommended reading
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MPs introduce the draft law on strengthening SAPO
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On January 31, MPs Radina and Ustinova registered draft law No. 8402 on strengthening the institutional capacity of the SAPO. It foresees a number of checks and guarantees from possible political interventions, as well as the SAPO autonomy in criminal procedure and organisational matters.
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Petition to restore asset declarations gained 25,000 signatures
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During four days the petition to restore declaration of assets of officials and MPs collected the required 25,000 signatures. This is a push from civil society to respond to a number of recent corruption scandals and to give a motion for draft law No.8071 which provides for restoration of declaration submission, authored by the head of the faction Servant of the People, Davyd Arakhamia.
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NABU helped Dnipro City Council to recover airport from Kolomoisky
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On February 7, the Third Administrative Court of Appeal confirmed the decision of the court of the first instance to revoke the right of Dnipropetrovsk International Airport LLC (beneficially owned by Igor Kolomoisky) to operate the airport in Dnipro. Thus, the airport is returned to the ownership of the Dnipro community. The case was submitted to the court by the Dnipro City Council with a help of the NABU, the latter helped with an evidence base for the lawsuit.
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HACC confiscated titanium plant from Russian oligarch Shelkov
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The Appellate Chamber of the High Anti-corruption Court broadened the list of confiscated assets of russian billionaire Mikhail Shelkov. In particular, it confiscated the Demurinskyi Mining and Processing Plant, which produces ilmenite concentrate (titanium-iron oxide mineral). At least in the last years before the full-scale invasion, the products of this plant were exported to russia, where probably they were used in the production of weapons. The confiscation was done under the new sanction mechanism introduced back in May 2022.
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