Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 27 november 2019
Ukraine focuses on uprooting corruption amid U.S. scrutiny

By YURAS KARMANAU ues to plague the coun-
Associated Press try, with businesses paying
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — bribes to win government
Ukraine President Volody- contracts or settle tax dis-
myr Zelenskiy rode into of- putes, doctors seeking
fice this year on a pledge under-the-table payments
to tackle the corruption before performing surgery
that was rife under his two and students having to pay
most recent predecessors. their way into free higher
Analysts and activists have education.
given him strong marks so "There is no independent
far, which is why the recent judiciary, bribes are every-
descriptions in Washington where, top officials dodge
of Ukraine as a graft-rid- punishment with payoffs,"
den country are especially said Anton Fursenko, a
stinging for officials in Kyiv. 42-year-old businessman
In the first months of his ad- who was among those
ministration, Zelenskiy has who rallied on Kyiv's main
managed to win quick square last week, demand-
passage of anti-corruption ing stronger action against
legislation to identify ille- corruption.
gal wealth held by officials, A department chief in Zel-
calling for up to 10 years enskiy's office was arrested
in prison for those who recently on charges of ac-
cannot satisfactorily ex- cepting a $150,000 bribe to
plain income of more than get someone appointed to
$250,000. a top position in Ukraine's
In addition, a special anti- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, foreground left, and his wife Olena Zelenska hold can- state gas company.
dles as they walk to a memorial in Independent Square (Maidan) in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Nov.
corruption court that the 21, 2019. Prosecutors also opened
West had for years urged Associated Press a probe of 11 lawmakers
be established finally be- from Zelenskiy's party ac-
gan working in September. energy company. structure to combat cor- Graft continued to run cused of taking bribes of
That same month, Zelenskiy Trump has argued that ruption," said Daria Kale- amok under his succes- $30,000 each to support
announced the creation of in holding up nearly $400 niuk, a prominent activ- sor, Petro Poroshenko, a legislation that would ben-
a hotline for whistleblowers million in military aid to ist who heads a Ukrainian billionaire known as "the efit companies of another
to report wrongdoing. Ukraine, he was seeking group called the Anti-Cor- Chocolate King" because member of parliament.
Vadim Karasev, head of a to root out corruption. But ruption Action Center. "The he made the bulk of his for- Zelenskiy insisted last week
Kyiv-based independent Congress had already ap- anti-corruption court, the tune in the candy business. that his government and his
think tank, said remarks by proved the aid and there prosecutors and the anti- Taras Chmut, a leading in- Servant of the People Party
President Donald Trump has been no evidence of corruption bureau have dependent military analyst, will get rid of anyone sus-
and his defenders that any wrongdoing on the broad powers and free- said corruption has been pected of graft.
Ukraine remains mired in part of the Bidens. dom of action." particularly rampant in the "We always said that we
corruption have belittled Analysts say the 41-year-old Trump's critics, backed by military even as Ukraine has are ready to clean our
Zelenskiy's actions. Zelenskiy still faces massive a wealth of testimony on remained locked in con- ranks," he said.
"Trump sees it as expedi- challenges to try to end Capitol Hill, contend the flict with Russia-backed There are fears, however,
ent to brand Ukraine as the decades of graft, cronyism president wasn't genuinely separatists in the east. The that billionaire tycoon Ihor
most corrupt country, pre- and disregard for the rule concerned about corrup- fighting erupted in 2014 af- Kolomoisky, whose assets
ferring not to notice Kyiv's of law that helped bring tion and was just trying to ter Russia's annexation of include a TV station that
efforts to combat that," down Ukraine's two previ- damage Biden politically. Crimea. broadcast Zelenskiy's sit-
said Karasev, chief of the ous leaders. They argue, too, that his Chmut cited a scandal in com, could use his con-
Center of Global Strate- Before his election, he was maneuvering actually un- 2015 over the procurement nections to the president
gies. a sitcom star whose only dermined efforts to attack of rucksacks at inflated to try to reclaim control of
Ukraine has taken center political experience con- graft in the Eastern Europe- prices for Interior Ministry the nation's biggest lender,
stage in U.S. political life af- sisted of portraying a high an country. forces fighting the sepa- PrivatBank, which was tak-
ter an impeachment inquiry school teacher who is pro- In 2014, Ukraine's Russia- ratist rebels. The gear was en from him and placed in
of Trump was triggered by pelled to the presidency af- friendly president, Viktor Ya- purchased from a com- state hands in 2016.
a July 25 telephone call in ter a recording of his tirade nukovych, was driven from pany controlled by the son Zelenskiy has sought to
which he pushed Zelenskiy against graft goes viral. power in an uprising fueled of Ukraine's interior minister, distance himself from the
to investigate his political Now he is battling it in real by anger over corruption, but the case was closed, tycoon, and government
rival Joe Biden and Biden's life. and his administration was and the minister has kept officials have vowed that
son, Hunter, who was on "Zelenskiy has completed accused of looting billions his job to this day. PrivatBank will remain un-
the board of a Ukrainian the formation of a vertical of dollars from the state. A military embezzlement der state control.
scheme allegedly involving Despite that, Kolomoisky
top Poroshenko associates has continued working be-
and a factory controlled by hind the scenes to expand
the president badly dented his clout, said Kaleniuk, the
his popularity just before anti-corruption activist. She
the election and contrib- alleged the tycoon has
uted to his bruising loss to been able to recruit several
Zelenskiy. dozen legislators to support
Despite Zelenskiy's latest his agenda and put pres-
efforts, corruption contin- sure on Zelenskiy.q