2023: Historic success for anti-corruption authorities — NABU Director Semen Kryvonos and SAPO Head Oleksandr Klymenko report on results
2023 saw an increase in nearly all NABU and SAPO indicators, particularly in the number of notices of suspicion and cases referred to court, as emphasized by the heads of the anti-corruption authorities Semen Kryvonos and Oleksandr Klymenko during the presentation of NABU and SAPO's report for the second half of 2023.
"During 2023, NABU and SAPO exposed: 21 top state officials, 39 heads of state-owned enterprises, 16 judges, and 11 MPs. These figures are also several times as high as in previous years," said NABU Director
He added: "The economic effect is the funds reimbursed to the state budget, state-owned enterprises, and assets directed to support the military by court order. In the second half of 2023, this effect hit a record high, surpassing a staggering UAH 3 billion, totaling UAH 4.7 billion in 2023, a remarkable one-and-a-half-fold increase compared to 2022."
Semen Kryvonos also dwelled on corruption in military procurement: "The biggest crime today is stealing from the army and military. Such cases are among the NABU's priorities. Currently, the department conducting investigations in the defense sector has over 60 cases under investigation. They involve the procurement of weapons, food, and equipment for the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2022-2023."
NABU Director stressed that in this context, the most crucial aspect is gathering sufficient and irrefutable evidence to bring the case to court and ensure that a guilty verdict is passed.
"We prioritize achieving more significant results in the fight against corruption in the defense sector. This does not mean that we have not worked in this direction before. It means we pursue the highest standard of evidence. Therefore, our investigations take more time, but they will undoubtedly yield tangible results," added Oleksandr Klymenko.
In conclusion, Semen Kryvonos addressed the challenges facing the National Bureau.
"One of these challenges is independent wiretapping. We are taking efforts to have this tool not only at the legislative level, but also in practice. The second challenge is the establishment of an autonomous forensic institution," stated the Director.
Among other challenges, he highlighted the recruitment of new Bureau staff, the audit of NABU, and the complete repeal of the 'Lozovyi amendments.'
