Ukraine’s reform record has been bleak over the past month. Pro-government members of a selection panel have refused to appoint the winner of the contest for the chief anti-corruption prosecutor. Another contest – for the State Investigation Bureau’s head – was seen by civil society as rigged. Ukraine’s two
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Dec. 31 appointed Oleksiy Sukhachov as the head of the State Investigation Bureau, one of the main law enforcement agencies, for five years. The decision is highly controversial. Sukhachov, a loyalist of the Zelensky administration, was appointed by the president as the acting chief of the
A selection panel failed to nominate a new chief anti-corruption prosecutor for the second time on Dec. 24, triggering indignation among civil society. Kateryna Koval, head of the panel, demanded that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and other state agencies conduct a second background check on Oleksandr Klymenko, who
A selection panel failed to appoint a new chief anti-corruption prosecutor at what was supposed to be its final meeting on Dec. 21. Panel members blamed a recent decision by a tainted court led by a judge suspected of corruption. What anti-corruption activists see as the latest act of sabotage
On Dec. 9, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Oleksandr Tupytsky, head of Ukraine’s Constitutional Court, and Andriy Portnov, ex-deputy chief of staff for pro-Kremlin ex-President Viktor Yanukovych. Both stand accused of corruption and obstructing reforms. That was surely a great push for Ukrainian reforms and a massive blow
The selection of the country’s top anti-corruption prosecutor has come under the threat of being canceled by Ukraine's most controversial court. On Dec. 20, the Kyiv District Administrative Court ruled that the contest must be shut down. The court said in a statement that the selection committee lacks the
Yuriy Zontov, the brother of Ukraine’s most notorious judge, has been released from detention on Hr 7.6 million ($280,000) bail, the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office said on Dec. 15. Zontov is a former employee of the Foreign Intelligence Service. His brother is Pavlo Vovk, widely seen as
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has uncovered the largest operation producing fake Covid-19 documentation and distributing it throughout the whole country, according to a Dec. 14 announcement. The operation generated around $185,000 a month, based on preliminary estimates. According to documents obtained by the SBU from the alleged
Western diplomats urged Ukraine to complete key anti-corruption and judicial reforms in a quick, fair and transparent way at the “Seven Years of Anti-Corruption Reforms” conference in Kyiv on Dec. 9. The event was co-hosted by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NACP)
The U.S. imposed sanctions on Oleksandr Tupytskyi, chairman of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, and Andriy Portnov, a former ally of pro-Kremlin Ex-President Viktor Yanukovych, on Dec. 9. Both were accused of engaging in corrupt practices including bribery, illicit influence over reforms and the judiciary, and misappropriation of assets.
Lawmaker Viktor Medvedchuk, co-head of the pro-Kremlin 44-member Opposition Platform - For Life faction, failed to declare assets worth over Hr 73 million ($2.7 million), the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) announced on Dec. 8. According to the agency, Medvedchuk did not declare his Kyiv land
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