Prosecutions pursued against Zelensky-Kolomoisky associates

The High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine ruled on
Nov. 15 to arrest several state officials in a criminal case involving fraud
and bribery, the pravda.com.ua news site reported. Detectives with the National
Anti-Corruption Bureau uncovered a scheme in which the suspects allegedly
demanded a bribe of USD 300K to enable an appointment to a key post in Naftogaz
of Ukraine, the state natural gas transit monopoly and producer. Among those
arrested were Viktoria Lisnycha, a deputy culture minister, and Svitlana
Kondzelia, the President’s Office director of the public information access
department. Kondzelia was placed under house arrest, while Lisnycha was arrested
for two months under UAH 576,300 bail.

Dmytro Sviatash, a former MP with a Kolomoisky-aligned
parliamentary group, was placed on international search on Nov. 16 by the
Interior Ministry of Ukraine. In early October, Kyiv prosecutors named Sviatash
among several suspects, partners in the AIC group of companies, in a criminal
case involving the misappropriation of a UAH 1.1 bln loan from Ukrsibbank. The
criminal charges involve fraud as part of a conspiracy involving large amounts,
and submitting fraudulent documents as part of a conspiracy.

Zenon Zawada: It is very
rare for a Ukrainian court to arrest even mid-ranking state officials while
they are in office. So these arrests indicate the High Anti-Corruption Court,
an independent institution required by the IMF and launched in September, is
off to a positive start. For these officials to have been charged, it also
means that the Zelensky administration is allowing investigations to occur
involving mid-ranking state officials (at minimum), which is also an impressive
signal in the fight against corruption. It’s for this reason that the IMF
required the creation of independent investigative and judicial bodies. It will
be an important achievement for Zelensky if he is able to ensure their
independent functioning.

It’s also very important for the Zelensky
administration to demonstrate impartiality as it pursues its prosecution of
mid- to high-ranking officials, both past and present. This is an essential
step for the Zelensky administration to demonstrate its commitment to the rule
of law. So these developments offer the public reason to believe the Zelensky
administration is serious about fighting corruption, though it’s not enough.
Court trials need to lead to completion.