Anti-corruption head recorded at president’s residence in late April night

Artem Sytnyk, the head of Ukraine’s National
Anti-Corruption Bureau, was video-recorded by reporters with Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty visiting the president’s private home for a late night
meeting on April 26. The reporters confirmed Sytnyk’s presence by identifying
his car, and also confirmed the presence of cars used by MP Oleksandr
Hranovskiy, who is known as the president’s “curator” in the nation’s
prosecutor offices and courts. Sytnyk confirmed he was at the president’s house
that night, but merely to discuss the details of the High Anti-Corruption Court
that was being requested by Western institutions.

The cars associated with Hranovskiy left the residence
at the same time that Sytnyk left, the video-report showed. Hranovskiy declined
to answer questions about the meeting. The reporters submitted questions to the
Presidential Administration and are waiting for a response.

In an interview published on July 12 on the
pravda.com.ua news site, Sytnyk confirmed that he is not communicating with
Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecution Head Nazar Kholodnytskiy, whom he
secretly recorded jointly with the Prosecutor General’s Office. He expressed
disappointment with the reported recommendation by a prosecutor disciplinary
commission – made public last week – that Kholodnytskiy merely be reprimanded
for his alleged crimes exposed by Sytnyk’s investigation, rather than
dismissed, as had been sought by Sytnyk. The commission will meet on July 24, where
it will officially review the recommendation and decide whether to confirm.

Zenon Zawada: If
President Poroshenko wanted to gain Sytnyk’s opinions on the anti-corruption
court, he could have easily invited him to his office of Bankova Street during
normal business hours. Though Poroshenko is known to prefer late-night
meetings, hosting the head of what’s supposed to be an independent
anti-corruption body at your home creates enormous suspicions and casts doubts
on Sytnyk’s integrity. Such conduct undermines the goal of Western institutions
in creating an independent anti-corruption bureau (in exchange for loans).

In his latest interview, Sytnyk also confirmed the
poor cooperation of Ukraine’s leading anti-corruption bodies, which undermines
the intentions for which they were created, which was to investigate cases
independently. The conflict between Sytnyk and Kholodnytskiy, which we believe
was encouraged by the Poroshenko administration, has undermined Ukraine’s
anti-corruption efforts and will hurt the functioning of the independent court
that is to be created.

Their personal conflict – and their suspicious and
even criminal conduct – will continue to harm the functioning of the
independent anti-corruption bodies and taint their credibility, especially once
the court is created. However, it seems convenient for the Poroshenko
administration to have two anti-corruption leaders battling against each other.