Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Saturday, May 31, 2025

West can help Ukraine crack down on graft, anti-corruption prosecutor says

West can help Ukraine crack down on graft, anti-corruption prosecutor says

Western allies can help Kyiv with its mounting crackdown on graft by extraditing more people who are under investigation, Ukraine's top anti-corruption prosecutor said on Wednesday.

Fighting sleaze is a priority for Kyiv as it seeks membership of the European Union and tries to strengthen state institutions following Russia's invasion last year.

Oleksandr Klymenko, director of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, told Reuters that most countries Kyiv has asked to extradite suspects in corruption cases have declined to do so.

"In 90% of our cases, we have one or two or three or more subjects who are abroad, and the procedure for handing these people over to Ukraine is complicated," he said during an interview in his Kyiv office.

Countries where suspects have been located included Austria, Spain and Britain, he said.

Easing extradition, Klymenko said, was "extremely relevant" to Ukraine's efforts to root out corruption, which the European Commission, the EU executive, has singled out as a precondition for membership talks to begin.

"The investigation of a criminal case is quite ineffective when we can't return these people to Ukraine from various jurisdictions for the administration of due justice," he said.

Klymenko said countries typically cite security concerns amid Russia's war and the conditions of detention in Ukraine, but that Kyiv always guaranteed the safe custody of suspects under investigation.


SYSTEMIC CORRUPTION


In his role, to which he was appointed in July 2022, Klymenko must remain free from political influence - an important concern of Western governments and international donors who want to be sure foreign aid will not fall into the wrong hands.

Klymenko, 36, had previously worked as a detective for the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, another state body fighting graft.

He said the priority for Kyiv's anti-corruption authorities was to root out the complex schemes and illicit networks that have made graft systemic in Ukraine.

The country ranked 116th out of 180 countries in Transparency International's most recent Corruption Perceptions Index, the result of weak state institutions that came under the control of well-connected people after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Authorities have ramped up their anti-corruption drive since Klymenko's appointment.

Last week, investigators said they had uncovered a plot involving a former head of the State Property Fund that they believe embezzled more than $13 million.

That followed the first indictments on March 15 in a case involving a sprawling scheme that allegedly led to Ukrainian electricity customers overpaying by more than $1 billion between 2016 and 2019.

Klymenko said such elaborate corrupt ploys would continue unless their high-ranking organisers were targeted and the mechanisms exposed.

"If there's no system - in which a subordinate answers to a higher-up, who then answers to the very top - then I think it would be a success not just for us, but for our country in general," he said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
Head of Gaza Aid Group Resigns Amid Humanitarian Concerns
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Denmark Increases Retirement Age to 70, Setting a European Precedent
Iranian Director Jafar Panahi Wins Palme d'Or at Cannes
Israeli Airstrike Kills Nine Children of Gaza Doctor
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki Erupts Again, Spewing Ash Cloud over Flores Island
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
Senate Democrats Move to Censure Trump Over Qatar Jet Gift
Hamas Releases Last Living US Hostage from Gaza Amid Ongoing Conflict
×