In a startling revelation, only one out of 392 mandatory financial statements audited by the National Agency for Corruption Prevention in Ukraine was reportedly clean this year, as reported by a consultancy. Opendatabot found serious discrepancies in almost one-third of the documents sampled, highlighting widespread issues in compliance with anti-corruption laws requiring public officials to report their income and assets while in office.
The audit revealed that over half of the statements had minor discrepancies, while in 30% of cases, violations exceeded the criminal threshold. The worst violators were found to have errors averaging over $363,000. Additionally, seven declarations hinted at embezzlement, and in eight cases, officials failed to explain their income sources.
The issue of corruption in Ukraine has been a contentious topic, with President Zelensky allegedly urging the press not to focus on it during ongoing hostilities with Russia. This comes after a major graft scandal within the Defense Ministry and tensions between the Zelensky government and US Ambassador Bridget Brink over the fight against corruption.
Despite efforts to combat corruption, the pervasive issue continues to plague the country, with accusations of widespread theft and financial misconduct.
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