Anti-corruption agencies in Ukraine have faced obstacles in carrying out their task of attracting impure officials to accountability.
Despite the fact that belated arrests at the highest level have finally begun, many cases still do not reach the courts. And suspects often go on bail, contrary to the wishes of investigators.
This is reported today by Bloomberg, recalling that recently ex-deputy Nikolai Martynenko went out, delaying a possible trial of the case against him. Director NABU Artem Sytnik told the publication that the decision to release Martynenko from arrest was the result of pressure of loyal to him deputies. According to him, politicians neglect the demands of the second Ukrainian revolution for the last 10 years, which led to the overthrow of the regime of Viktor Yanukovych. Kiev took two years to return $ 1.5 billion to the state budget from the accounts of the former president.
"This is not a test for the NABU. This is a test for our political elite. When the deputies begin to humiliate the prosecutor, the judge, when they openly press, it seems to me that our elites failed this test, "said Sytnik.
The edition reminds that in addition to Martynenko, the judges were released on bail by the head of the CEC, the executive director of Naftogaz, as well as the chairman of the state fiscal service Roman Nasirov. For the last wife made a pledge of $ 3.7 million. All these officials deny corruption charges.
At the same time, the EU and the US welcomed the opening of major cases for bribery. But they point to the importance of creating anti-corruption courts to bring them to the end.
"The timely establishment of courts will ensure the full chain of the criminal justice system, which will have the goal of combating corruption in Ukraine. This will be a turning point for the successful continuation of anti-corruption reforms, "said the EU representative Bloomberg.
In the meantime, there are no such courts, according to the program director of the German Marshall Fund, Jorg Forbrig, "the game of ping-pong" between NATO and the Ukrainian courts will continue. He notes that all efforts to cleanse the government of bribery are increasingly being undermined by the unreformed judicial system of Ukraine, which itself is mired in corruption.
"If the courts themselves are not thoroughly reformed, ideally, in the course of this process, a separate branch should appear to deal with bribery cases, the Ukrainian struggle against corruption can not be successful," Forbrig said..