Will the anti-corruption laws finally come into effect?

From 1 January 20100 a package of anti-corruption laws are due to come into force, however it is not inconceivable that parliamentarians will again defer this.

From the New Year public officials’ liability will increase for facilitating corruption or corrupt dealings when resolving different matters.

Director of the Horshenin Institute, Volodymyr Fesenko says that for the moment the Ukrainian authorities are not focusing on prevention of corruption and a comprehensive approach to overcoming it, but on administrative-criminal measures – catching people red-handed, arresting, imprisoning people. He believes that in the near future there will not be any changes since President Yanukovych promised to prepare his own anti-corruption laws despite the Verkhovna Rada having passed the anti-corruption package a few years ago – only to defer its entry into force, now due for 2011.

Mr Fesenko is sceptical regarding the odds that the President and Verkhovna Rada will give the green light to real measures at combating corruption. “The deputy corps was not ready for these laws since they cover their actions, including those of opposition deputies since they criticized these acts. The higher corps of public officials are not ready for it either.” He predicts that either the laws will come into force from the New Year but will be applied by the authorities selectivity, or they will be again deferred.

Parliamentarian from the BYuT faction (Tymoshenko’s), Andriy Shevchenko is convinced that the laws will come into force on 1 January 2011 although he agrees that the pro-administration majority, three weeks before New Year, can change any legislative acts, including those on countering corruption. He thinks, however, that the President will not risk speculating on this issue. “The only change for the country to move forward is at the present time to clean up everything linked with corruption.”

Other analysts in Kyiv are also inclined to think that the President will not dare give the West yet another reason for criticism given the frequent comments and reminders from Europe about Ukraine’s flourishing corruption. And so the anti-corruption package does have a chance to come into effect from the New Year.

Lilia Hryshko