It’s the last day of our birthday campaign, and it would mean a lot to us if you become our member today
Become a member
Skip to content
A sitting of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, livestreamed from the session hall in the media room in Kyiv, Ukraine on June 5, 2024. (Eugen Kotenko / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

The European Commission is assessing a draft law that proposes controversial changes to Ukraine's criminal code, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna told Interfax Ukraine on July 19.

Draft law no. 11340 proposes to amend Ukraine's Criminal Code, specifically regarding proceedings on crimes related to corruption and plea agreements.

If passed, the law would allow courts to enter into a plea agreement with someone charged with a corruption-related offense, whereby the punishment may involve a fine that would reimburse the damages caused by embezzlement, for example.

According to the draft law, the fine can range from Hr 204,000 ($5,000) to Hr 204 million ($58,000), depending on the severity of the crime.

Stefanishyna told Interfax Ukraine that the draft law should improve the effectiveness of plea agreements in line with global practices.

"Plea deals are a very common practice worldwide. This practice already exists in Ukraine. However, the current mechanism is ineffective, as noted in the evaluations of international experts," Stefanishyna said.

The draft law was passed by parliament in the first reading on July 18 despite risks pointed out by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor (SAP) and parliament's Anti-Corruption Committee, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak noted.

The Anti-Corruption Committee said that the law contains a "corruption-inducing factor."

Zelezniak said that the adoption of the law is a requirement of the EU's Ukraine Facility, but the law was "written in such a bad way by the Government, specifically by the Justice Ministry, and clearly not under normal consultation with colleagues from international partners."

Ukrainian blogger Ihor Lachenkov argued that the law "will allow top corrupt officials to buy themselves out of punishment for corruption simply by paying any amount of damage, even without exposing accomplices."

Lachenkov detailed the issues with the law in an Instagram post on July 18, providing the example of an official caught embezzling Hr 3.4 million ($82,000) while in charge of building fortifications.

"He'll be able to legally pay a part of the kickback...and that's it, he's free," Lachenkov said. The post has been liked over 125,000 times.

European Commission snubs Hungary’s presidency over Orban’s rogue diplomacy
“In light of recent developments marking the start of the Hungarian Presidency, the President (Ursula von der Leyen) has decided that the European Commission will be represented at senior civil servant level only during informal meetings of the Council,” said von der Leyen’s spokesperson Eric Mamer.
It’s the last day of our birthday campaign.
It would mean a lot to us if you become our member today. With your support, we can do even more good journalism.
Show us support this birthday month
Become a member
visa masterCard americanExpress

News Feed

MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.