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By April 1, anti-corruption activists must file asset declarations identical to those of government officials – part of the ruling kleptocracy’s revenge on Ukraine’s civil society. Parliament missed the last deadline for abolishing the requirement on March 22.
The absurdity of the new requirements is beyond belief.
In July, the National Agency for Preventing Corruption (NAPC), responsible for checking asset declarations, said that any individuals who get funds or provide services as part of anti-corruption programs must file declarations. The NAPC also said in March that even those who have attended offline or online anti-corruption courses must declare their assets.
Harsh criticism by the European Commission on March 28 forced Ukrainian authorities to promise concessions. The NAPC had to limit the category of activists to which the measure will be applied, and the Verkhovna Rada is expected to consider abolishing the absurd requirements after the April 1 deadline.
Meanwhile, five months after whistleblower Hanna Solomatina exposed alleged corruption at the NAPC, the investigation has seen no progress. Since it was set up in 2015, the discredited agency has failed to punish a single top official for violations in their asset declarations.
Ukraine’s leaders, starting with Petro Poroshenko, have no intention to fight corruption. The sooner Ukraine’s Western friends catch up to Ukrainians and realize this, the better. Cutting off aid may not be enough, since so much more money is made on corruption. But it’s a start.
