Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jun 26, 2025

West can help Ukraine crack down on graft, anti-corruption prosecutor says

West can help Ukraine crack down on graft, anti-corruption prosecutor says

Western allies can help Kyiv with its mounting crackdown on graft by extraditing more people who are under investigation, Ukraine's top anti-corruption prosecutor said on Wednesday.

Fighting sleaze is a priority for Kyiv as it seeks membership of the European Union and tries to strengthen state institutions following Russia's invasion last year.

Oleksandr Klymenko, director of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, told Reuters that most countries Kyiv has asked to extradite suspects in corruption cases have declined to do so.

"In 90% of our cases, we have one or two or three or more subjects who are abroad, and the procedure for handing these people over to Ukraine is complicated," he said during an interview in his Kyiv office.

Countries where suspects have been located included Austria, Spain and Britain, he said.

Easing extradition, Klymenko said, was "extremely relevant" to Ukraine's efforts to root out corruption, which the European Commission, the EU executive, has singled out as a precondition for membership talks to begin.

"The investigation of a criminal case is quite ineffective when we can't return these people to Ukraine from various jurisdictions for the administration of due justice," he said.

Klymenko said countries typically cite security concerns amid Russia's war and the conditions of detention in Ukraine, but that Kyiv always guaranteed the safe custody of suspects under investigation.


SYSTEMIC CORRUPTION


In his role, to which he was appointed in July 2022, Klymenko must remain free from political influence - an important concern of Western governments and international donors who want to be sure foreign aid will not fall into the wrong hands.

Klymenko, 36, had previously worked as a detective for the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, another state body fighting graft.

He said the priority for Kyiv's anti-corruption authorities was to root out the complex schemes and illicit networks that have made graft systemic in Ukraine.

The country ranked 116th out of 180 countries in Transparency International's most recent Corruption Perceptions Index, the result of weak state institutions that came under the control of well-connected people after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Authorities have ramped up their anti-corruption drive since Klymenko's appointment.

Last week, investigators said they had uncovered a plot involving a former head of the State Property Fund that they believe embezzled more than $13 million.

That followed the first indictments on March 15 in a case involving a sprawling scheme that allegedly led to Ukrainian electricity customers overpaying by more than $1 billion between 2016 and 2019.

Klymenko said such elaborate corrupt ploys would continue unless their high-ranking organisers were targeted and the mechanisms exposed.

"If there's no system - in which a subordinate answers to a higher-up, who then answers to the very top - then I think it would be a success not just for us, but for our country in general," he said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
Russian Shadow Payments via Cryptocurrency Reach $9 Billion
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
×