On the eve of a crucial summit in which Ukraine seeks to shore up its candidature for the European Union, President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to campaign against corruption, a menace whose eradication is an essential condition for entering the European club. Yesterday, Wednesday, the Ukrainian authorities carried out a series of searches at the homes of prominent businessmen and politicians.
The most striking demonstration was held at the home of oligarch Íhor Kolomoiski, once the richest man in Ukraine and an ally of Zelensky. The current president, who was a well-known comedian professionally, is known as a public figure pushed by the Kolomisky media, which played a key role in his rise to the presidency in 2019.
One of Zelensky’s election promises was to end corruption.
During his election campaign, one of Zelensky’s promises was to fight corruption. In 2021, he also launched an initiative for oligarchs to stop influencing media and politics. This included Kolomoisky, with whom the president had already distanced himself.
According to Ukrainian Pravda In the city of Dnipro, in the home of the oligarch, the police yesterday followed the trail of possible financial crimes.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), for its part, reported that it had discovered a plan to embezzle more than a billion dollars from the largest Ukrainian oil company, Ukranafta, and its main refinery, Ukratnafta, much of which belonged to Kolomiysky. Had shares. ,
The President of Ukraine received his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto in Kyiv last Tuesday
David Arakhmia, who heads the parliamentary group of Zelensky’s party, the Servant of the People, in the Rada (parliament), assured over a telegram that the Kyiv government is determined to eliminate corruption in Ukraine, even though it is in the worst phase of its history. are passing through Due to conflicts with Russia since independence. “The country will change during the war. If someone is not ready to change then the state itself will go and help them to change.
Strong Hand Against Corruption is a good letter of introduction before the biggest landing of European politicians in Ukraine.
Corruption is a chronic disease in Ukraine. In 2021, Ukraine ranked 122 out of 180 on NGO Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.
The goal of joining 27 has always been seen as a process that would take years. But spurred on by Russian interference in the country, Brussels granted him candidate status in 2022.
On the sidelines of the summit, this Friday, 3 February, Zelensky is expected to meet the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen; and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.
In addition to the search of Kolomoisky’s home, the SBU said it carried out dozens of actions yesterday against corrupt officials, Russian agents or individuals threatening national security. The target is targeting the “enemy within”, said its owner Wasil Malik. He said on a telegram, “Any criminal who has the audacity to hurt Ukraine, especially in wartime, must clearly understand that we are going to handcuff him.”
Authorities also searched the home of a senior Kyiv tax service official linked to an investigation into shares worth $1.4 million. And another record relates to an investigation into a former Defense Ministry purchasing manager who was suspected of spending the equivalent of $2.7 million to buy 3,000 substandard vests.
The government also announced the replacement of the management team of the Customs Service.
With these actions, “public warnings” are issued to those who wielded great influence before the conflict with Russia and lost control of power due to the start of hostilities, political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko reflected on Facebook.
He warned in Kyiv, “Whoever harms Ukraine, especially in wartime, will be handcuffed.”
The home of former Interior Minister Arsen Avakov was also searched in connection with the helicopter crash that killed 14 people on 18 January, including the minister of the branch, Denis Monastyrsky. Avakov himself said that the authorities were investigating the purchase of the Airbus helicopter model that crashed six years ago, but “did not find anything relevant.”
All this corruption comes a week after Zelensky launched the biggest-ever shakeup of the administration, firing or resigning a dozen top officials, including a deputy defense minister, over their roles in an exorbitantly priced contract to buy food for troops. Investigations have come to the fore.
