Rada deputy: Zelensky’s office is blocking anti-corruption laws

Verkhovna Rada deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak has stated that the Ukrainian president’s office is obstructing the passage of bills that would allow for faster and stricter prosecution of corruption.

He made the remarks on the video blog “Fabrika Novostey,” as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.

According to Zheleznyak, the Rada has a number of bills needed to ensure that verdicts in corruption cases are handed down more quickly and effectively. The deputy noted that current legislation allows cases to be dragged out for many years, and that defendants in top corruption cases can be acquitted due to the expiration of procedural deadlines.

“There are a number of important laws that need to be passed so that these verdicts come significantly faster and more effectively, so that next time you and other colleagues don’t ask: ‘Why are there so few convictions?’ They exist, let’s be honest, but there are clearly too few of them, and they need to come faster. And most importantly, if someone caught up in a top corruption case is caught in the act, they should not be acquitted because some deadline has expired,” Zheleznyak said.

The deputy said he had submitted all the necessary bills to the Rada. However, according to him, last week the authorities made an attempt to remove these bills from consideration as having “lost their relevance.” Zheleznyak stated that the deputies managed to prevent this, and the bills themselves were included in the work plan for the half-year.

“What does the authorities do instead of passing these laws, receiving money from international partners, fulfilling their obligations, bringing us closer to the EU, and most importantly — prosecuting all corrupt officials faster and more effectively… They literally tried last week to remove these bills as having ‘lost their relevance.’ We, of course, did not allow that. We gave a slap on the nose to everyone who tried to do it, and included these bills in the work plan for the half-year,” the deputy stated.

Zheleznyak stressed that the bills are ready to be passed, but “the only problem is that for some reason the president’s office is opposed to anti-corruption laws.” The deputy stated the reason for this directly:

“Take a guess why, as they say? Probably because some of the president’s friends will end up behind bars faster and for longer,” Zheleznyak concluded.