On 17 April, The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) of Ukraine sentenced a mayor of Reni, a city on the Romanian border in Odesa Oblast, and a former deputy of its local council to nine and ten years, respectively, for taking a bribe to rent out a plot of community land unlawfully.
Tackling corruption is seen as a major objective for Ukraine. Last December, the Ukrainian parliament passed new anti-corruption laws in a bid to align more closely with the European Union.
The HACC found Ihor Pliekhov, the mayor of Reni, and Ivan Poidolov, former local council deputy, guilty of committing a criminal offense under Part 4 of Art. 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, reported the press center of the HACC.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) detained them on 24 January 2023 after the judge and deputy palmed a bribe of $50,000. The total illegal benefit was $100,000, which the accused requested from an individual to ensure the transfer of a 2.5-hectare communal property land plot for rent.
The court sentenced Ihor Pliekhov to nine years and Ivan Poidolov to ten years, depriving them of the right to hold positions in local self-government bodies and state authorities for three years and confiscating all their property.
The court’s verdict can be appealed within thirty days from its announcement by filing an appeal through the High Anti-Corruption Court to the Court of Appeal of the High Anti-Corruption Court, as per the report.
How Ukraine tackles corruption
Last December, Ukraine passed new anti-corruption laws that increased the staff of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), expanded the powers of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP), and separated the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) into an independent prosecutorial body.
Implementing effective anti-corruption measures is a key requirement for EU membership after Ukraine received EU candidate status in June 2022 and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he expects to start negotiations for accession to the EU in 2024.
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