Anti-Corruption Network stresses the need for Ukraine’s anti-corruption legislation to be brought into conformity with European standards
Ukraine has virtually not carried out the Anti-Corruption Network’s recommendations on amendments to Ukrainian legislation as regards international anti-corruption standards. Attention was given to this at the 6th Monitoring Meeting of the Istanbul Anti-Corruption Action Plan at the OECD Headquarters in Paris last week. During the meeting levels of implementation of the Anti-Corruption Action Plan for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Ukraine (the Istanbul Action Plan) were considered.
Representatives of the Department for legislation on the justice system, law enforcement and fighting crime within the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice who took part in the meeting report that the level of implementation of the recommendations for Ukraine was discussed.
Experts from the Anti-Corruption Network {ACN] named around 10 fundamental provisions which need to be reflected in Ukrainian legislation.
Ukraine needs to introduce special checks on people standing for state office. Legislation should stipulate restrictions on state officials receiving presents and there should also be mandatory declarations of both their income, and the expenditure of such people. Ukraine was advised to implement anti-corruption examination of draft laws for normative legal acts and establish liability of legal entities for corruption offences.
Other ACN recommendations include public participation in prevention of corruption and the establishment of the authorities’ obligation to inform the population about anti-corruption policy, the differentiation of liability for corruption by private legal entities and state bodies, etc.
The ACN experts also stress the need to pass the anti-corruption package of draft laws “On general principles for preventing and countering corruption”, “On introducing amendments to some legislative acts of Ukraine on liability for corruption offences” and “On liability of legal entities for corruption offences”. This, in their view, will promote the implementation of the vast majority of the OECD recommendations to Ukraine and will improve coordination of the work of law enforcement agencies engaged in fighting corruption.
The Anti-Corruption Action Plan for
The implementation of the Istanbul Action Plan includes several phases during which experts from the OECD Council of Europe will carry out reviews in these countries of the legislative and legal base for fighting corruption, of implementation of recommendations made during such reviews, as well as monitoring progress in implementing recommendations.
The anti-corruption package of draft laws ““On general principles for preventing and countering corruption”, “On introducing amendments to some legislative acts of Ukraine on liability for corruption offences” and “On liability of legal entities for corruption offences” was passed in its first reading by the Verkhovna Rada in December this year.
Press Service of the Ministry of Justice