MPs have passed draft law No. 4660-d, which was registered in the Parliament as recently as yesterday. 289 MPs voted in favor.
This way, MPs basically admitted to being reluctant to face fair punishment for intentionally false declarations and concealing their property. And they called it the only possible compromise.
What did they decide?
- the upper threshold for false declarations is increased. Now, officials will face punishment only for concealing extremely high amounts. For false information in the amount of UAH 1,135,000 — UAH 9,080,000 (500-4,000 subsistence minimums for able-bodied persons) officials will face a fine of UAH 42,500 to UAH 51,000, 150 to 240 hours of community work and a ban on certain positions for up to three years;
- if the lie exceeds UAH 9,080,000, the fine grows to UAH 51,000 to UAH 85,000, and the sanction involves restriction of liberty for up to 2 years. That is basically a walk in the park. At the same time, imprisonment is not provided for anyone under any circumstances. This completely contradicts TI Ukraine’s recommendations and will only help officials hide their assets.
- the MPs did not add the new articles to the list of corruption criminal offenses enshrined in the Criminal Code.
This increases the potential number of officials who can avoid punishment for intentional lies in declarations or failure to submit them. And the upper limit has become so high that any official will be able to juggle amounts quite freely, preserving both their illegally obtained assets and their position.
TI Ukraine believes that this decision will fully destroy the effectiveness of e-declarations as a means of corruption prevention and will only exacerbate the problems already existing in our country. MPs effectively “saved” themselves and other officials from liability and consequences, which will eventually harm Ukrainians.