Only NGO representative leaves President’s “anti-corruption” body in protest

As he had warned he might, Oleksy Khmara, Head of TORO, the contact group for Transparency International in Ukraine. has announced his resignation from the National Anti-Corruption Committee under the President. 

This follows the President’s signing of Law № 9634 on Amendments to Some Legislative Acts on Public Procurement which Mr Khmara says is a law creating the danger of corruption.

By signing the law, he says, the President has shown disregard for the role and key tasks of the National Anti-Corruption Committee.

As reported, according to Law № 9634  tenders for State or municipal enterprises or enterprises are now not required where over 50 percent is owned by the State or municipal authority, where the procurement is carried out at the expense of the specific enterprise.

Even if this does not fuel more corruption, it does mean that the spending of large amounts of money will not need to be published in the Public Procurement Herald.  This means that the extraordinary prices paid for fruit in the President’s Administration or some of the eyebrow-raising goods purchased for the Verkhovna Rada can now be concealed from the public.

Information about Mr Khmara’s decision from the TORO website