Yevhen Magda: Attack on anti-corruption bodies may lead to reduction of Western aid
3 June 2024 18:33
EXCLUSIVE
The government continues to reshuffle its staff, including anti-corruption agencies. In particular, today it became known that Artem Sytnyk, Deputy Head of the NAPC, was dismissed from his post. Earlier, on 24 May, it was reported that the first deputy director of the NABU, Gizo Uglava, had been suspended from his duties. [Kommersant] asked political analyst Yevhen Magda what these dismissals mean and what their consequences might be.
According to the expert, this is a dangerous trend that may indicate another “correction” of anti-corruption policy in Ukraine. And in an environment where the state depends on foreign aid, this can lead to big problems.
“I am watching this with sadness, because curtailing anti-corruption actions or giving them a purely political colouring will lead to an extremely unpleasant situation. Our partners perceive corruption in Ukraine, for obvious reasons, as theft of their taxpayers’ money. We need to realise that curtailing anti-corruption efforts could result in a reduction of their assistance, both financial and military-technical. I think there is no need to explain what this will lead to in a time of war,”
– said the political scientist.
The NAPC and NABU are products of Ukraine’s deep cooperation with its Western partners. These bodies are considered an important element of anti-corruption policy, and the West closely monitors their work and independence. Instead, the political scientist argues, the tone of the statements made by the Ukrainian authorities regarding such personnel changes indicates that it is a deliberate policy.
“Both Sytnyk and Uglava are not angels, but compared to those who are fighting against them so actively, they look at least more adequate,”
– magda believes.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) were established in spring 2015 as elements of the new anti-corruption infrastructure.
The NABU is responsible for combating corruption and other criminal offences committed by senior officials that pose a threat to national security. The NAPC checks the declarations of public officials and their lifestyles to ensure that they are consistent with their official income.
