Draft bill #10413 of January 17, 2024 

Cosponsors: MPs Antonina Slavytska (Restoration of Ukraine group) and Oleksandr Tkachenko (Servant of the People faction) 

Status: sent for review to the Anti-Corruption Policy Committee 

Who is affected: the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) and declarants 

Summary: 

  • the NACP will monitor the lifestyle of officials only for the period when they are in office and obliged to submit asset declarations 
  • the monitoring will cover only assets, incomes, expenditures, services, and other elements of lifestyle acquired or received by the declarant while he or she holds an official position and is obliged to submit an asset declaration 

Why this is important: asset declarations and monitoring of officials’ assets are the key elements of the anti-corruption reform. Checks of a declarant’s assets prior to appointment and after dismissal give a better understanding of their integrity and are an important controlling mechanism. 

What is wrong: the NACP will have fewer powers while conducting full checks of assets owned by declarants and their family members. 

Alternative solution: withdraw the draft bill. 

Background: On November 8, 2023, the European Commission published a report on Ukraine. Among other things, it recommended lifting the restrictions on the NACP regarding the repeated checks of assets and checks of property acquired by declarants before being appointed to civil service positions. The restrictions should be lifted only to an extent that does not harm national security and state interests while martial law is declared. 

On December 8, 2023, the President signed a law granting the NACP the authority to verify the grounds for acquiring property, including real property, acquired by the declarant or their family members before being appointed or elected to a position that requires the submission of asset declarations. 

Additional information: 

Ok, So What? podcast, ep. 133: What changes await anti-corruption bodies? 

Article by Oleksii Voloshyn: NACP & Verkhovna Rada: an Opportunity to Reboot Relations and Challenges for the Future Head