A few days ago (on August 27), President Zelenskyy proposed to equate corruption in Ukraine with high treason and transfer all cases of top corrupt officials from NABU and SAPO to the SBU. And as we all know, what gets to the SBU stays there forever and is classified as secret. Thus, our government is looking for ways to provide “immunity” from criminal and other liability for outright theft of the state on a particularly large scale during the war.
The answer was not long in coming. According to Glavkom, on August 30, the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Budget Committees met to discuss the European Commission’s proposals to support Ukraine with €50 billion to rebuild and modernize the country in 2024-2027.
During the meeting, the European Parliament criticized President Zelenskyy’s initiative to equate corruption during martial law with high treason. According to this proposal, the Security Service of Ukraine is to take over the investigation from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, which received a strong reaction from the European Parliament. This is stated on the institution’s website.
In his speech, Michael Gahler, rapporteur on Ukraine in the European Parliament, while calling it a good sign that the complexity of the problem of corruption is recognized at a high level, called for avoiding the possibility of controlling the proceedings by the authorities.
“I think it is inappropriate to shift responsibility for fighting corruption from existing institutions, such as NABU and SAPO, to the SBU during the war by renaming corruption as high treason. On the other hand, it is good that the complexity of the problem of corruption in time of war is recognized on a par with high treason, but it is up to the existing authorized institutions to overcome this challenge. We must avoid the impression that the purpose of such an initiative is to enable the authorities to control corruption cases and determine their fate, especially when it comes to cases involving high-ranking officials,” he said.
The official emphasized that the fight against corruption, especially in areas involving significant funds, was important before the full-scale Russian invasion, was important during the great war, and will remain so after it, when significant sums will be spent on rebuilding Ukraine and modernizing it for EU membership.
“Therefore, it is in the common interest of the Ukrainian government, parliament, anti-corruption institutions, civil society, and international donors to introduce safeguards for the proper use of financial resources,” said Gahler.
The Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee, Viola von Cramon, said she was concerned about President Zelensky’s initiative.
“I see it as an attempt to get rid of political opponents. It is not aimed at strengthening the existing anti-corruption institutions such as NABU and SAPO, but at giving significant powers to the SBU. We must closely monitor the developments,” she said.
So, to paraphrase what the Europeans said, if the Ukrainian government continues to look for ways to steal openly, it is unlikely that Western partners will allocate funds for the restoration of Ukraine.
