The reasons for corruption in Ukraine and ways of its overcoming is to be determined by the society at the public hearings of the same name a series of which will be held in Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Kherson and Chernivtsi initiated by the Committee of the Supreme Rada of Ukraine for struggle against organized criminality and corruption, the Program of promoting the parliament of Ukraine and the Center of educational reforms.

According to participants of the press-conference, the purpose of the hearings is “analysis of reasons and elaborating mechanisms of overcoming corruption in Ukraine with involving regional non-governmental organizations and their experts into the discussion”. In the upshot of the regional hearings there will be hearings in the profile committee and preparation of the bill “About foundations of preventing and counteraction to corruption in Ukraine”.

According to Stretovych, already now the Committee can offer some changes concerning, in particular, enlarging of the circle of corruption activity, and decreasing of circle of people who will be responsible for it. Besides, in his opinion, provisions about obligatory monitoring of gains of all state officials are to be included to the Law.   

Stretovych considers immediate adoption of the law about the Cabinet of Ministers a necessary condition for struggle with corruption in higher echelons of the government that would oblige the governors to open and transparent passing of decisions.  

In the opinion of Stretovych, the new government, despite its activeness in the sphere of struggle against corruption, made some mistakes in this direction. Particularly, according to the head of the Committee, still there were no actions and even proposals regarding the process of purifying the judicial system from corruptioners.

V. Stretovych made a sensational for many of the present statement. According to him, the scope of corruption after the orange revolution not only didn’t decrease, but on the contrary – increased, and the rate of bribes is still amplifying. “The period of changes is the most favorable for the growth of corruption, that’s why it’s necessary to act decidedly and immediately”, – he considers. “For this we even are ready to initiate the mechanism of squealing”.

However, as the head of the Committee of the Supreme Rada of Ukraine for struggle against organized criminality and corruption singled out, the government is to take care not only of removing negative tails of state officials, but also to prevent these tails from renewal in consequence of the natural phenomena of regeneration.

Olena Holiuk

RUPOR