Critical blow to anti-corruption agency
Ukraine’s Constitutional Court has stripped the country’s anti-corruption agency of some of its critical powers. The high court’s ruling published on October 28 declared it unconstitutional to hold officials criminally liable for intentionally providing false information on asset declarations. It also struck down several powers of the National Agency for Preventing Corruption (NAZK). The court decision may impact lending from the International Monetary Fund and threaten visa liberalization with the European Union. Anti-corruption campaigners said the ruling undermines Ukraine’s battle against graft. “The decision of the Constitutional Court will lead to a significant rollback in Ukraine’s anti-corruption reform,” watchdog Transparency International Ukraine’s Executive Director Andrii Borovyk said in a statement. “These legislative provisions were the cornerstones of the anti-corruption system, while corruption has been recognized as one of the threats to the national security.”