NACP reveals millions of violations in declarations of local MPs: some cases are already in courts
2 October 21:16
The National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) has reported massive violations in the declarations of local council members registered as individual entrepreneurs, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
According to the agency, the deputies often “forget” to indicate land, equipment, premises or income, which significantly underestimates their real wealth.
How the scheme worked
Many MPs are engaged in farming, a type of activity that requires a large number of assets: land plots, agricultural machinery, and storage facilities. They also often have financial obligations, such as loans or leases.
But, as the NACP has found, these assets are often not reflected in declarations. MPs hide equipment, drones, vehicles, or even dozens of land plots. Another common mistake is to indicate net profit instead of gross income.
Specific cases
- Chernivtsi region: a deputy of the Dniester District Council failed to declare more than 280 real estate objects worth more than UAH 24.2 million. The court fined him UAH 85,000 and banned him from holding public office for three years.
- Kharkiv region: a deputy of the Novopokrovsky village council failed to declare 28 land plots, buildings and a tractor worth a total of UAH 13.5 million. The police opened a criminal investigation.
- Dnipropetrovs’k region: another deputy of the same council “forgot” to declare a 507 m² building complex, two leased plots, a DAF truck, a combine harvester, an excavator and a trailer. Instead of UAH 5 million in income, he declared only UAH 1.5 million. The false information amounted to UAH 8.6 million.
NACP’s response
The Agency reminds that all assets and financial liabilities that exceed the thresholds set by law must be reflected in the declaration. This applies to both real estate and expensive equipment or vehicles.
“Failure to disclose property or income is not a “mistake” but a corruption risk that undermines trust in local government,” the NACP emphasized.
The fight against corruption at the local level has become one of the key areas within the EU accession requirements for Ukraine. In August, the agency already reported 46 corruption-prone factors in legal acts and completed 96 full audits of declarations, with violations found in each.
Recently, the government approved a number of anti-corruption draft laws, including on special inspections of the NACP and civil forfeiture in the HACC.
