To the President of Ukraine
Viktor Yushenko
01220, Kyiv, Bankova Street 11
Open appeal to the President of Ukraine
on the necessity of putting a veto upon the decision of
Verhovna Rada as for postponing new anti corruption legislation
Honorable Viktor Andriyovych!
Creative Union “TORO” is a Contact group in Ukraine of Transparency International – global anticorruption non-governmental organization, which has more than 90 national chapters and works in more than 100 countries of the world. Corruption perception index 2009, prepared by Transparency International, shows that corruption remains a very serious problem for Ukraine. This year rank of Ukraine in the world corruption rating with 2.2 points and general tempos of corruption scope in the state certify the necessity for decisive steps in order to save the country and get out of the corruption abyss.
Namely, if in 2006 Ukraine with 2.8 points got 99-104 rank among 163 countries of the world, where the research had been carried out, in 2009 with 2.2 points Ukraine got 146-153 rank among 180 countries covered by this year index. At the same time traditionally high level of administrative and political corruption in Ukraine exists on the background of actual approval of corruption by the population of the state. Today Ukrainians percept corruption as part of their culture and integral part of national mentality.
Taking this into consideration Creative Union “TORO” is very much concerned about the decision of Verhovna Rada to postpone taking into action provisions of anticorruption legislation package, adopted on the 11th of June of the current year. We’ll remind that laws of Ukraine “On basics of prevention and fighting corruption”, “On responsibility of legal persons for committing corruption offences” and “On inserting changes into some legislative acts of Ukraine as for responsibility for corruption offences” had to come into action on the 1st of January, 2010. But according to the law, adopted by the Parliament of Ukraine on the 23rd of December “On inserting changes into some laws of Ukraine as for prevention and fighting corruption” the renewed anticorruption legislation can come into force only from the 1st of April, 2010.
Taking into consideration that new anticorruption laws were brought to the Parliament as legislative initiatives of the President of Ukraine, we call you to make use of the procedure of putting a veto upon the Law from the 23rd of December, which is presupposed by the Constitution of Ukraine. We believe that consummation of anticorruption legislation package will be a real proof of the execution by Ukraine of its international obligations as for reducing level of corruption scope in the country.
President of
Creative Union “TORO”
Oleksii Khmara
24 December, 2009
