Ukraine Takes a Baby Step Toward Curbing Corruption
A new court will be vulnerable to political pressure, but it’s a start.
It’s a topic of conversation.
Photographer: Oleg Pereverzev/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Ukraine on Thursday took a key step toward establishing an anti-corruption justice system that would operate separately from its notoriously venal regular one. The parliament’s vote to set up the court likely paved the way for the release of further International Monetary Fund loans. Whether the new system will work is an open question.
Corruption may present a bigger obstacle on Ukraine’s path to Europe than even Russia’s depredations. The former Soviet republic shares the 130th place of 180 with Sierra Leone, Iran, Myanmar and the Gambia in Transparency International’s corruption perception ranking. Graft is the biggest concern for international donors and creditors who have backed the country since the 2014 Revolution of Dignity.