January 27, 2017

Ukraine upgraded in yearly graft ranking on back of e-declarations

More

KYIV – Ukraine slightly improved on the yearly corruption index compiled by Transparency International, placing in the 26th percentile alongside regional peers Russia and Kazakhstan.

The Berlin-based corruption watchdog said Ukraine ranked 131st out of 176 countries last year, a minor improvement over the previous year when it ranked 130 out of 167 countries – or in the 23rd percentile.

The upgrade, which saw Ukraine garner 29 out of 100 points on perceived corruption that the non-profit gauges via its surveys, was “attributed to the launch of the e-declaration system that allows Ukrainians to see the assets of politicians and senior civil servants, including those of the president,” TI said on January 25.

Multiple surveys conducted by Ukrainian polling firms last year found that the mandatory electronic asset declarations were by far the most popular anti-graft measure implemented by the government. More than 50,000 officials filed declarations last year, exposing their extraordinary wealth amid the paltry official salaries they receive. For example, the 24 members of the current Cabinet of Ministers declared hoarding $7 million just in cash, according to a Reuters news agency report.

However, the non-profit Transparency International noted that “cases of grand corruption against former President Viktor Yanukovych and his cronies are currently stalled due to systemic problems in the judicial system.”

The latest graft index also observed that pervasive corruption contributes to “public discontent and mistrust of the political system.”

“In many countries of the region, insufficient accountability has generated a perception of quasi-impunity of political elites, and the current wave of populism over Europe seems to enable legalization of corruption and clientelism, feeding the extreme power of wealthy individuals that steer or own the decision-making power,” TI said.

In countries once part of the Soviet Union, TI noticed that political decision-making is “captured” by members of parliament and local governors “who are also business owners, without being questioned by the public, which perceives this as something normal.” Thus, a “culture of impunity prevails among politicians, prosecutors and oligarchs.”

Comments are closed.