2023-08-27 18:41:00
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a television interview shared on his Telegram channel on Sunday that he would ask parliament over the next week to increase the penalties for those convicted of wartime corruption.
“I have set a task for legislation and Ukrainian lawmakers will be offered my proposals to equate corruption with high treason in wartime,” he said.
“I think parliament will receive the text next week and the ball will then be in parliament’s court,” he added.
Zelenskiy, who believes ending corruption is key to defeating Russia, also hopes that by tackling corruption he will make it easier for partners to support reconstruction efforts that will cost billions of dollars .
After a series of government reshuffles over corruption, Mr Zelenskiy sacked all regional heads of military recruitment this month following a nationwide audit.
Ukraine is ranked 116th out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perceptions Index.
“We are rapidly approaching the time when it will be us or them,” Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on the Telegram app on Sunday. External and internal factors mean that the survival of the state begins to depend on Ukraine’s ability to “really destroy the corrupt as a social group”, she said.
Mr Zelenskiy said those found guilty must be brought to justice. “But this is not a firing squad. This is not Stalinism,” he said. “If there is evidence, the person must be behind bars.
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