How to reduce the negative influence of oligarchs on state-building processes: strategic vision and disciplinary responsibility for corruption

Within the framework of the project “Support and Development of Democratic Processes in Ukraine During and After the War”, which the Centre of Policy and Legal Reform is implementing with the support of the National Democratic Institute, experts prepared a draft Deoligarchization Strategy and investigated the problems of disciplinary liability for corruption at the level of legislation and practice.

On July 4, these documents will be discussed at the roundtable “How to reduce the negative influence of oligarchs on the processes of state-building: strategic vision and disciplinary responsibility for corruption.”

According to Forbes, Ukrainian oligarchs manage not only to restore resources but also to increase them, and the monopolization of markets by oligarchs is listed as one of the top three obstacles to investment in Ukraine’s economy according to the Ukraine Facility 2024-2027 Plan. Therefore, the threat of excessive influence of oligarchs on social, economic, and political life in Ukraine during the war and in the post-war period remains.

The project developers propose to consider a systematic approach to solving this problem, taking into account the recommendations of the Venice Commission. In the context of taking a set of anti-oligarchic measures, it is also important to introduce mechanisms that ensure the inevitability of punishment for corruption on any scale, including minor ones. Disciplinary action against those who have committed a corruption or corruption-related offense, as provided for by law, is often not applied in practice. One of the reasons for this is the lack of basic principles and clear mechanisms for applying this type of liability. The authors of the study analyzed the state of the legal framework in Ukraine, the practice of its application, and the experience of other countries and proposed ways to solve this problem.

The event will be broadcast in Ukrainian and in English on YouTube.

In the long-term, such events will increase the level of transparency and accountability of public officials, and thus help reduce oligarchic influence.

The event is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Ukraine Responsive and Accountable Politics Program (U-RAP), implemented by the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the International Republican Institute (IRI), and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). The views expressed during the event are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) or the United States Government.

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