The Rada has not repealed Andrii Derkach’s “scandalous amendment”

On January 26, even after seven votes, the MPs still failed to include in the agenda amendments to the Law “On Prevention of Corruption,” which would have repealed the amendment to the budget law delaying the launch of electronic declaration system to 2017. Let us recall that this budget amendment was initiated at a meeting of the appropriate committee by People’s Will MP Andrii Derkach. The committee approved it almost unanimously, and the parliament voted it in. It all has endangered getting the visa-free travel regime with the EU in 2016, as making officials to submit electronic declarations was one of the requirements of the process.

After the amendment caused a scandal in the media, Justice Minister Pavlo Petrenko and Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Volodymyr Hroisman made statements about the need to correct this “mistake.” Meanwhile, the presidential press service reported: “Introducing as soon as possible an effective system of verification of tax declarations of public servants, preventing and resolving conflicts of interest is a key component of the president of Ukraine’s anti-corruption policy and an important condition for visa liberalization, for which the head of state has done a lot.” However, due to either these statements having too little effect, or political will of our leaders being too weak, the chamber failed to remove this threat to Ukraine’s visa-free travel regime with the EU on January 26.

“Listening to fellow MPs, I heard how critical they were about the idea to repeal this amendment, as many of them apparently do not want to vote for the early introduction of electronic declarations for some personal reasons. They want to protect themselves, their relatives and their way of life, both political and everyday,” an independent MP told The Day.

“The Rada failed to vote it in because the parliament is divided into two camps,” Petro Poroshenko’s Bloc MP Yehor Firsov commented for The Day. “Some have come here to make policies and resolve political issues. Others have done so to make money and even engage in corrupt dealings. This kind of legislators have come here to solve their personal issues rather than engage in reforms and changes, so they find such laws outright harmful for themselves. The conflict between the two camps has been with us since the first meeting and will not go away. The vote for this bill has shown which camp every MP belongs to. Similarly, it can be seen by looking at signatures we collect to initiate removal of Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin. There are many litmus tests here.”