Positive anti-corruption laws passed with dubious amendments

On Tuesday parliament adopted vital anti-corruption laws envisaging the creation of an independent anti-corruption bureau, mandatory disclosure of the real owners of companies;  transparent funding of election campaigns and others.   This is a major step forward, however there have been some voices of criticism.

The Centre for Countering Corruption issued a statement on Tuesday accusing the parliamentary profile committee of having introduced amendments which will strip the Anti-Corruption Bureau of political independence.

The Centre says that the amendments have destroyed the provisions preventing people who worked in law enforcement bodies involved in (nominally) fighting corruption from working in the Bureau.  The Centre fears that this will mean that new people will not be taken on, and the same people supporting the corrupt system at present will remain.  They are also concerned that the amendments have made it easier to remove the head of the Bureau for political motives.  If this was impossible before, now only 150 MPs – one or maximum two factions in parliament need to propose a vote of no confidence with a simple, not a constitutional majority required for it to succeed.

The draft laws passed were drawn up with the cooperation of Transparency International in Ukraine and other civic organizations.

There were five bills in total.

On the basic principles of state anti-corruption policy in Ukraine for 2014-2017 (№5085);

On creating an independent anti-corruption bureau

On fighting corruption;

On amendments to some legislative acts identifying the  real owner of a company

On amendments to the Criminal and Criminal-Procedure Codes on inevitability of punishment for crimes endangering national security, public safety and corruption.