The United States and the European Union have expressed frustration with Ukraine as the nation drags it feet on electing the head of a unit to investigate corruption at the highest levels of government.
In a joint statement issued on October 9, the United States and the EU called the delay in choosing the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) “incomprehensible and unjustified.”
Washington and Brussels called on Kyiv to “resume its work without further delay,” saying in their joint statement that they are “very disappointed” and that failure to move forward with the selection process “undermines the work of anti-corruption agencies, established by Ukraine and its international partners.”
The United States and the EU have tied significant financial and military aid to Ukraine to progress on reforms, including battling corruption, which many experts say is one of the major factors hindering Kyiv’s aspiration of joining the bloc.
SAPO oversees investigations carried out by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and is independent of the Prosecutor-General’s Office.
SAPO also prosecutes cases in court brought forward against an individual by NABU. As of December 31, 2020, SAPO and NABU had achieved 43 convictions against 50 people.
SAPO and NABU were created after the 2013-14 revolution that toppled Kremlin-leaning former President Viktor Yanukovych amid a push to fight corruption that had left Ukraine among the poorest nations in Europe despite vast natural resources and bountiful agricultural land.
Ukraine’s Prosecutor-General’s Office has been viewed as historically ineffective in the fight against corruption and under the control of vested interests, thus requiring the creation of SAPO and NABU.
Those vested interests fear the appointment of a tough head of SAPO and are seeking to undermine the process, anti-corruption activists say.
It isn’t the only crucial reform measure currently facing sabotage, they say.
Ukraine’s Council of Judges has dragged its feet on appointing members to a panel that will help vet judges.
The panel is a central element of judicial reform that the United States, the EU, and Ukrainian activists say is vital to cleaning up endemic corruption in courts.
