Thread by @AlexKokcharov

THREAD on Ukraine's Constitutional Court ruling from 27 October, when it ruled that it was unconstitutional to hold public officials criminally liable for intentionally providing deliberately false information on asset declarations.

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kyivpost.com/ukraine-politi…

It also rescinded several powers of the National Agency for Preventing Corruption (NAZK). The CC ruled as unconstitutional the NAZK’s powers to verify asset declarations and monitor officials’ lifestyles for signs of corruption.

rferl.org/a/ukraine-s-to…
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Free public access to officials' declarations was also made illegal, as were e-declarations meant to increase transparency. The CC rescinded NAZK’s right to access registers, draft reports on violations, and conduct anti-corruption inspections in government agencies.

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As the CC is the sole body of constitutional jurisdiction in Ukraine, its rulings cannot be appealed or overruled.

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kyivpost.com/article/opinio…

Director of National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) Sytnik said that the CC’s ruling will mean that his agency would have to close some 100 criminal cases against illicit enrichment, while those 20 cases that are already before the courts will proceed. interfax.com.ua/news/general/6…

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Several judges of the CC were being investigated by NAZK over allegedly failing to fully declare their assets. Curiously, head of the CC Tupitsky failed to declare land he purchased in Russian-occupied Crimea in 2018.

ru.krymr.com/a/news-krym-tu…

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The CC’s ruling will be negatively assessed by Ukraine’s international partners, such as the EU and the IMF, as a major set-back to anti-corruption efforts, already problematic under @ZelenskyyUa.

ukrinform.net/rubric-society…
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Implementation of anti-corruption measures was part of recommendations under the IMF’s $5-billion Stand-By Arrangement with Ukraine. This implementation had been already under fire i the previous weeks:

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globalcapital.com/article/b1ntkh…

EU would be likely to freeze a lot of assistance programmes to Ukraine and even temporarily suspend visa free access of Ukrainian nationals to the Schengen area, a major achievement of recent years for ordinary Ukrainians.

nv.ua/ukr/world/geop…

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Overall impact for Ukraine will be really bad, setting anti-corruption measures back by 1-2 years, and threatening financial stability in 2021. Ukraine needs continued external funding to manage its budget deficit.
kyivpost.com/ukraine-politi…
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And final curious detail. The CC hearing on this matter was initiated in September 2020 by 47 MPs in the Parliament mostly representing pro-Russian oligarchic parties OPFL and For Future, including Medvedchuk, Rabinovych & Boyko.

nv.ua/ukr/ukraine/po…
11/11

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