The Rada failed to create an Anti-Corruption Bureau.

The Verkhovna Rada did not support bill No. 5085 "On the system of specially authorized entities in the field of combating corruption."

Only 218 members of parliament voted in favor. Twenty-four members of parliament voted against, most of whom belong to the "Economic Development" group.
The MPs present in the hall from Batkivshchyna, the Party of Regions, UDAR, the Economic Development group, and non-affiliated members did not vote for the draft law that was supposed to create the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
Another 163 deputies were absent from the session hall, ignoring the adoption of an important anti-corruption law. The Rada may now return to consider the bill on October 14.
Bill No. 5085 proposes the creation of a National Anti-Corruption Bureau, which will focus on combating corruption exclusively among government officials, namely ministers, deputies, judges, prosecutors, senior military officers, heads of large state-owned enterprises, etc.
If the current Verkhovna Rada votes on this bill, the creation of such a bureau is possible by the end of 2014. Adoption of this bill by the end of October is one of the IMF's key requirements for providing the third tranche of financial assistance to Ukraine.
"Every deputy who doesn't support this bill is a common thief with something to hide," asserts Vitaly Shabunin, chairman of the Anti-Corruption Action Center. "And this should be the main signal to their constituents."
Furthermore, on Tuesday, the Verkhovna Rada rejected two similar bills on the creation of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, No. 4780 and 4780-1, paving the way for the registration of a compromise presidential bill, which was developed by the Cabinet of Ministers and the public and takes into account all the key points of the two previously submitted bills.
"The bill stipulates that the NAB's jurisdiction will extend exclusively to corruption crimes in the public sector and local government bodies and will not affect private businesses," emphasized Oleksiy Khmara, executive director of Transparency International Ukraine.
"One of the bureau's functions will be to locate and recover the assets of corrupt officials. The creation of an internal unit will be established to check employees for integrity and determine whether their lifestyle corresponds to their income. This bill has been supported by all expert communities and partners, including the International Renaissance Foundation and UNDP. It has undergone a series of international assessments and has been recognized as meeting global anti-corruption standards," he added.
The draft law on the establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau was prepared by the Cabinet of Ministers jointly with experts from the anti-corruption group of the "reanimation package of reforms" and registered by the president as urgent.

 
Ukrainian Truth

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