Ukraine’s Parliament Restores Anti-Corruption Legislation Annulled By Highest Court
December 04, 2020 20:06 GMT – RFE/RL
Ukraine’s parliament voted on December 4 to reimpose penalties for officials who provide false information about their incomes, defying an earlier ruling from the nation’s highest court.
Ukraine’s Constitutional Court in October annulled key parts of the nation’s anti-corruption legislation, sparking a widespread backlash at home and abroad. The decision threatened Western financial aid to Kyiv and visa-free travel to Europe Union countries.
The nation’s highest court declared unconstitutional a provision that required officials to submit electronic asset declarations. It also struck down legislation that made providing false income information a criminal offense.
Ukraine has suffered from widespread corruption for decades that has held back foreign investment and economic growth. The prior legislation, passed after the 2013-14 Euromaidan protests that pushed Moscow-friendly President Viktor Yanukovuych from power, helped combat the problem by exposing and punishing those officials involved in graft.
The new bill passed by parliament on December 4 is less severe.
According to its provisions, an official who deliberately conceals assets worth between 1.3 million and 9 million hryvnya ($46,000 and $318,000) can be fined between 42,500 and 51,000 hryvnya ($1,500 to $1,800) or sentenced to between 150 and 240 hours of community service.
Those who fail to declare assets worth over 9 million hryvnya will face a fine of between 51,000 and 85,000 hryvnya ($1,800 to $3,000) and between 150 and 240 hours of community service or up to two years of “restrictions of freedom” that do not include imprisonment.
Additionally, any official convicted of hiding income can be banned from holding public office for up to three years.
So, you could deliberately conceal assets worth billions of Euros and your fine would be 1,500 and some “community service”? This is window dressing and insulting. This won’t prevent corruption at all, in fact, I’d bet champagne sales probably went up after this news. These lying scheming oligarchs need hard time. The conditions have to be worse than Moskovia so they go back there instead!
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This is fighting corruption, Zelensky style. Reward thieving oligarchs and corrupt officials with a slap on the wrist, and fines that they pay with money they stolen in the first place. Zelensky sold Ukraine down the river, he had all the power in the world when elected, but serving his masters in Russia and the oligarchs paid more.
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This law is a bad joke. No wonder … seeing what a clown there is in office!
When will the people have enough of this circus show?
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Its not an anti-corruption bill, but a tax-law!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You must pay around 5% of the sum you stole………………..making profit on corruption is now legal, thank you Zenny.
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Sounds Yanukovitch wrote this fake law!
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A politician in Norway was caught embezzling NOK 450,000 (USD 51,000). The amount had to be repaid as well as 11 months in prison.
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We are the world’s most non-corrupt nation! 🏆🍻😎
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I’m not surprised! All Nordic countries, except Iceland, among top 10, not bad 😉
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We’re best on fighting Covid-19 😉
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eoe7woNXIAE_4hG?format=png&name=large
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The US rating is just a bit optimistic, as they are proving with the presidential election.
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I don’t know the most corrupt President we have had in a long time was overthrown.
So far even conservative judges are laughing his claims of voter fraud out of court.
Personally I don’t know how any one could vote for a man who’s lawyers claimed tha tthe President should be immune to ALL criminal investigation.
That’s the stuff of Putinism
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It certainly isn’t Putinism what the US is doing in Ukraine and Syria though, huh? Do you think Obama should be investigated for his response in Crimea?
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