Zelensky said government officials’ wealth and income declarations must be open to the public immediately, not hidden for a year.
Sept 12, 2023. Posted by Balkan
Periscope - Hellas
Ukrainian President Zelensky said electronic financial
declarations by officials should "immediately" be available to the
public, vetoing a law that triggered a scandal across Ukraine.
“Veto. This morning, we received a law from the Verkhovna Rada that retained restrictions on electronic declaration. These restrictions are unacceptable,” he said in a video message to Ukrainians, published on his Telegram channel on Tuesday, Sept. 12.
Despite calls from the public, the parliament members did
not provide public access to the Unified Register of Declarations.
The draft legislation would have kept the register closed,
with only two state agencies – the National Agency for the Prevention of
Corruption and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau – having the authority to
verify the information.
“We have introduced a provision allowing declarants to
voluntarily make their declarations accessible to the general public, not just
the regulatory bodies,” he said.
However, Zelensky called for immediate transparency.
“Not in a year. The register must be opened right now. In
fact, this critical amendment should be voted on as soon as possible,” Zelensky
said, countering his own party’s leader.
Last week a petition was created on the president’s website,
calling for a veto of the bill. It quickly garnered the required number of
signatures, with over 80,000 Ukrainians signing it.
Zelensky also received calls from the European Parliament to veto the bill
Zelensky
previously said that a decision on the draft law would be made after consulting
with Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Olga Stefanishyna, as the
restoration of the electronic declaration plays a crucial role in Ukraine’s
path to joining the EU.
Last week, media reports, citing administration sources,
suggested that Zelensky might veto the law based on its lack of transparency.
According to a late July poll conducted by the Kyiv
International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), 89 percent of Ukrainians consider
corruption a major issue, ranking it second only to Russia’s invasion in terms
of national concerns.
In recent
months, a series of corruption scandals have shaken the administration, leading
to the resignation of Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov.
Kyivpost
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