Only 1.5% of corruption cases in Ukraine end up in conviction -findings
Source: Opendatabot
During the wartime, Ukrainian courts have handed down 6,877 verdicts on corruption-related offenses, but only 1.5% of those convicted end up behind bars. The majority of corruption cases were filed in Lviv (172 cases), Vinnytsia (151 cases), and Odesa (115 cases) regions.
One of the reasons why there are fewer convictions is that financial declarations for officials was made voluntary while National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) control put on hold its investigations when the war started.
The Corruption Register filed 6,870 new cases in 2021, while this year has seen only 1,758 such convictions.
In 2024, the top charges include:
- Bribery: 663 verdicts (37.7%), a third fewer than the previous year;
- Late Declarations: 623 verdicts (35.4%) – it surged 34 times due to the end of the declaration campaign in April 2024;
- Conflict of Interest Violations: 281 verdicts (16%), two times fewer since last year.
The NACP says that fines remain they key punishment in 98% of cases, with only 1.5% cases resulting in prison sentences (27 verdicts). Currently, the NACP uses automated checks to analyze declarations, focusing on high-risk declarations. Over the last 9 months, NACP finding helped open 126 criminal cases.
Amendments to Ukraine’s enforcement proceedings legislation, initiated by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, have entered into force. Among other measures, the reform provides for the automated lifting of attachments on bank accounts immediately after debts in enforcement proceedings have been fully settled. The main practical benefit for citizens is the complete elimination of the need to contact an enforcement officer in person and wait for paper decisions once the debt has been paid.
The 157th Separate Mechanized Brigade has received another batch of supplies as part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front military initiative. This time, the military received seven quad bikes and four mobile shower and bath units.
In my previous column, I wrote about social innovations in Ukraine. Those innovations are part of civic resilience and the democratization of security, which Europe is paying close attention to right now. The EU is trying to work out how to spread responsibility for its own security across society as a whole, rather than leaving it to institutions alone. It is looking for concrete ways to bring ordinary people into the work of defense and resistance.
Petro Poroshenko’s lawyers have appealed to the High Anti-Corruption Court demanding that NABU be obligated to register proceedings regarding the fact of exerting influence on the court and to recognize Petro Poroshenko as a victim in the case of the Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Iryna Mudra, due to her pressure on Supreme Court judges who were considering a lawsuit to overturn sanctions.
Internationally recognized brands and financial institutions should direct capital to Ukraine now, not waiting for the hostilities to end. This was emphasized by Rinat Akhmetov, president of FC Shakhtar, during a working visit to UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, where he met with UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin.