Dozens of officials have been fired and arrested for corruption this week as EU leaders meet in Ukraine.
High-level negotiations on Ukraine’s EU membership are taking place in Ukraine this week. One of the basic conditions of the European Union for the membership sought by Ukraine is the eradication of corruption. Is it a coincidence that spectacular anti-corruption measures have been implemented in Ukraine this week.
– The country will change during the war. And if some are not ready to change, the state will come to them and help with this, thundered the president to Volodymyr Zelensky Leader of the People’s Servant party David Arakham on Wednesday (you switch to another service)when the Ukrainian intelligence service raided all over Ukraine.
Already last week it was reported that dozens of civil servants have either resigned or been fired in Ukraine. This week, the grips have clearly tightened. On Wednesday, dozens of raids were conducted across Ukraine as part of anti-corruption efforts.
The raids have reached right up to the administration’s top officials: for example, the former deputy defense minister was arrested.
On Wednesday, the home of the controversial billionaire and oligarch was searched again Ihor Kolomoiskyi to a person who is suspected of evading customs duties. This is significant, because Zelenskyi rose to the public with the help of Kolomoiskyi’s media empire. Many of Zelensky’s doubters saw him as nothing more than Kolomoisky’s puppet before he became president.
Dozens of high-ranking officials have come under criminal suspicion and, among other things, the entire management of Ukrainian customs has been dismissed. New anti-corruption raids have been announced almost daily this week, too today (you switch to another service) on Friday.
The EU requires big changes
The EU granted Ukraine and Moldova candidate status last June. The EU prepared for Ukraine a list of seven conditions that the candidate for membership must fulfill before joining. They concern the reform of the judiciary, work against corruption, oligarchs and money laundering, as well as the reform of press and civil minority legislation.
According to EU estimates, the membership process will take years, but the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal aim for membership within two years.
Ukraine is still one of the most corrupt countries in Europe, and according to President Zelensky, eradicating corruption is one of its most important tasks, along with the fight for defense.
Wednesday was published of Transparency International (you will switch to another service) an annual measurement analyzing state corruption, in which Ukraine rose by one point. The increase is not large, but this is still significant in a country at war.