The special commission set up to select candidates for the directorship of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau held its first meeting on Jan. 9.
Refat Chubarov, chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatars was appointed head of the commission and Evhen Zakharov, chairman of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, the commission secretary. During its next session, scheduled for Jan. 10, the commission is expected to complete a vacancy notice and announce the competition for the head of the bureau.
The law on creation of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, which will be empowered to investigate crimes committed by senior public officials, comes into effect on Jan. 25. President Petro Poroshenko, present at the beginning of the meeting, said he would like to see the results of the Bureau’s work by the time Ukraine celebrates Independence Day on Aug. 24. “We cannot waste time. We must quickly prepare suggestions to improve the procedure of the competition, define whether the commission considers foreigners as candidates for the position, determine qualification requirements for candidates and list the necessary amendments to the law,” Poroshenko said.
