The Ukrainian parliament approved at the first reading a bill allowing those suspected of taking large bribes to pay off the punishment, according to Ukrainian media.
Under the bill, an offender would be punished with a fine ranging from 204,000 hryvnias ($4,900) to 2.04 million ($49,000) for a criminal offence. A minor offence will result in a fine of 2.06 million hryvnias ($49,500) to 20.4 million ($490,000).
For a serious offence, the offender will pay between $49,500 and $2.24 million. A particularly grave offence involves a fine of between $2.24 million and $4.9 million.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) detained the acting deputy head of the Main Directorate of the State Tax Service in Kyiv in July, accusing him of corruption. According to the SSU, he received “undue benefits” from the capital’s entrepreneurs.
Recent funding scandals
The US Army failed to review more than fifty invoices as part of the transactions for $20 million in Ukraine aid contracts, according to the report by Pentagon inspector general. The report said Army contracting personnel did not properly review 53 contractor invoices as of 26 July 2023, totalling $20 million. The audit also showed approval of improper payments.
In early July, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) stated that it would add a requirement for Ukraine to amend its Customs Code. Ukraine will need to bring its customs code in line with the legislation of the European Union.
According to the Washington-based lender, Kyiv should also strengthen staff integrity and introduce a transparent merit-based recruitment process to mitigate the threat of corruption.
Employees of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) searched the house of the former deputy head of the Ukrainian president’s office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, at the end of June. Tymoshenko is also involved in the Big Construction scandal. This is a project launched by the administration of current president Volodymyr Zelensky in 2020 to develop social, transport, and sports infrastructure.
