Corruption Among Top Officials Is on the Rise – SAPO
10 August 13:35
The level of corruption in Ukraine remains unchanged, while bribery among top officials is actually on the rise. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian", citing a statement made by Oleksandr Klymenko, head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), during a briefing.
There is no political will to fight corruption
Klymenko stated that the state is demonstrating a lack of political will to combat corruption properly.
“Corruption in Ukraine is not decreasing. It remains at the same level. Or, when it comes to high-level corruption, it is actually on the rise. The state is demonstrating that it lacks the political will to combat this corruption properly,” the SAPO head noted.
According to him, the issue with the expert agency remains unresolved. Furthermore, the so-called “Lozovoy amendments”—which allow corrupt officials to evade accountability by having cases closed on purely formal grounds—have not yet been repealed.
Klymenko identified another problem: the SAP’s lack of authority to independently initiate investigations into members of parliament and to approve investigative and covert investigative actions against them.
“That is why we must not be dependent on the will of another official who has absolutely no connection to the Anti-Corruption Agency,” emphasized the head of the SAP.
Watch us on YouTube: important topics – without censorship
International investigative teams are needed
Klymenko drew attention to the issue of extradition and the creation of joint investigative teams with other countries.
According to him, most corruption schemes today extend beyond Ukraine’s borders and involve several jurisdictions at once.
As an example, he cited the “Midas” case, in which a large number of jurisdictions are involved in the laundering of funds.
“We need to establish international investigative teams with other jurisdictions so that we can obtain evidence in this specific criminal proceeding as quickly and efficiently as possible and exchange information with prosecutors from other jurisdictions,” Klymenko explained.
According to him, it is precisely these issues that have remained unresolved for a long time, and they should be discussed openly.
Extradition of suspects in the “Midas” case from Israel
Klymenko also addressed the issue of extraditing the defendants in the “Midas” case from Israel. He stated that the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) has not received a response from Israel to its extradition request regarding businessmen Timur Mindich and Oleksandr Zuckerman.
“We haven’t received any response yet. The relevant requests have been sent, but we are waiting for a response from the other side,” said Klymenko
The investigation into the “Midas” case continues: what is Energoatom’s status?
NAEK “Energoatom” currently does not have the status of an aggrieved party in the “Midas” energy sector corruption case, noted Semen Kryvonos, director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).
At a briefing on Monday in Kyiv, he said that the pre-trial investigation is ongoing.
“We plan to complete it on schedule and make the case files available to the individuals who have been notified of their status as suspects so they can review them. Is Energoatom currently considered an aggrieved party? As far as I know, it does not currently have the status of an aggrieved party,” the NABU director emphasized.
He noted that since the pre-trial investigation is still ongoing, its details are not being disclosed.
Read us on Telegram: important topics – without censorship
