Global Integrity: Ukraine Boasts Strong Anti-Corruption Legislation

KYIV, Ukraine, November 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --



Global Integrity international NGO assessed Ukrainian anti-corruption law as strong, hitting 100 on the 0-100 scorecard. Improvements in Ukrainian legal base were recognized in the organization's 2011 annual report on anti-corruption institutions and mechanisms around the world. According to the 2011 country reports Ukrainian legal base landed among such top-scoring European countries as Germany, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina.  

Ukrainian anti-corruption legislative framework has improved in 2011 compared to 2009, according to GI's  assessment. After years-long political debate, several significant laws were enacted in 2011, reads the report. Global Integrity points out that the parliament passed a bill that grants citizens access to public information. New legislation also regulates conflicts of interest by government officials: post-government employment, gifts and hospitality, public official asset disclosure, etc.

Notably, the 2011 Law on Access to Public Information provides that all information produced by the public bodies, excluding the confidential data, should be released to citizens within 5 to 30 days. The 2011 Law on the Foundations of Prevention and Combating Corruption contains new principles of corruption prevention; the act stipulates that government officials and their close relatives are obliged to declare their income and any expenses that exceed their income and publish such financial declarations in the official press.

At the same time Ukraine scored low in actual implementation of the new legislation, according to the report.  Although the government has been more active in fighting corruption lately, the NGO alleges that such activities were often politically motivated and targeted opposition leaders. "We are studying what is written in legal acts and how it works in practice. Ukraine has adopted many laws to fight corruption, but their implementation level is low," commented the Global Integrity projects manager Marco Tomicic and added that the report data is used by major international organizations, including the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations.

On the other hand, Ukraine also scored high according to the Public Requests for Government Information (81), Voting and Party Formation (83), and Election Integrity (84) criteria. Also, Ukraine boasts advanced Supreme Audit Institution (81).