The Kiev Ivan Simonov was one of the people surrounded the courthouse to the official, who was suspected of corruption, could not get out. Throughout the city are unable to find a judge who would be able to choose a measure of punishment.
Sunday evening of the fifth of March, the patience of the Kiev graphic designer Ivan Simonov burst.
The main news of the weekend was the result of the investigation, according to which the head of the State fiscal service Roman Nasirov was involved in the theft of 70 million euros. The detention of the official have already managed to announce a historic event. Nasirov, who is considered an ally of Poroshenko, was not supposed to be the object of such investigation.
Detention has not prevented even the old trick — an unexpected illness. After the publication of the results of the investigation, 38-year-old Nasirov reported heart attack. This nobody believed.
However, on Sunday the situation has changed: the investigation seems to have begun to collapse. The period of detention Nasirova was coming to an end, and throughout Kiev, there were no judges who could conduct a trial of the case.
Activists urged residents of Kiev to surround the courthouse to Nasirov had not fled the building after the expiration of the period of detention has not left the country. Simonovsky decided to respond to the call.
The court reached hundreds of people. It shocked Simon and his friends — as well as the organizers.
According to organizations for the fight against corruption, that support ordinary angry citizens and the buzz around this event is very helpful. Nasirov remained in the courthouse, and in the morning it was decided to conclude the official under house arrest with a bail of 3.4 million euros.
Investigation Nasirov should be completed in early June.
“This whole episode with the doctors and the disappearance of judges — theater performance. Unfortunately, practice shows that such arrogance usually works. So I came to Express support for the activists,” — says Simonov.
The trial Nasirov think an important test.
Not all are convinced that the Ukrainian leadership is really fighting corruption. The old corrupt system seem to start to recover its position.
Corruption is a long-standing problem in Ukraine. She was the main reason for the protest movement of the Maidan, following which then-President Viktor Yanukovych fled in February 2014. However, the majority of deputies of the Parliament of Ukraine, chosen after Maidan, remains part of the old corrupt apparatus of power or maintain contact with him.
Corruption is still so vast and strong that the fight against it is called the “second front”. The “first front” — the war in the East of Ukraine supported and controlled by Russian rebels. According to the organization Transparency International, which studies corruption, last year only 45 of the 176 countries were more corrupt than than Ukraine.
Decrease in level of corruption — one of the main requirements of Western experts, acting with the support of Ukraine.
According to government critics, in the period after the reign of Yanukovych, Ukraine has managed to implement a number of reforms to combat corruption.
The state of the gas trade better. Created a model by which the transaction of the public sector are carried out on electronic and public auctions. Adopted a law requiring politicians, bureaucrats and judges to present information about their property.
“However, we must be able to separate the two process: full and selective fight against corruption. The fight takes place actively and it is results. When the sample against the results of the weak,” — says Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, head of Transparency International in Ukraine.
Suspicion of corruption is rarely anything results, since all stops on litigation, says yurchishin. Reform of the judiciary was carried out, and it saves the elite.
So now the old system began to retaliate, to suspend the implementation of reforms.
The object of the attack in the first place is the National anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), which is now studying including activities Nasirov. Started to work on demand Western donors in the fall of 2015, the Bureau of NABOO effectively engaged in the learning activities of politicians and officials.
The NABU — which does not depend on politics. She chose their employees with the help of open competition. This independence was praised by President Poroshenko when he announced after the arrest Nasirova, they did not know about the investigation.
Politicians can’t dismiss the head of NABOO in the middle of his five-year term. The President, the Parliament and the government annually choose the person who checks the activities of the organization, and the trio can take the decision to resign. It seems now politicians are not trying to find an independent and competent reviewer.
“Now, our investigation into affect and the political elite, therefore, a noticeable constant attempts to restrict our activities and independence. This is the proof of our success,” says Director of the NABU Sytnyk.
He says that the judiciary is at an impasse. He, however, did not agree that the case Nasirov was for NABOO, test, determining the future of the organization.
“This is a test not for the organization I for the political elite”.
© RIA Novosti, stringer | go to potbanging under the slogans: “No! Corruption in the banking sector of Ukraine!” “No! Deposit and credit slavery in Ukraine!” in Kiev
The second are civil organizations that advocate against corruption. Along with international sponsors they were able to advance the law under which officials should report their property.
This spring, Parliament decided that members of civic organisations fighting corruption and to persons who cooperate with them, need to report their property if they receive foreign funding.
Organizations consider this law of revenge and an attempt to undermine the reputation of activists.
This is partly a question of political culture in which all people who are outside the camps, considered enemies.
“They are nervous because they do not believe that the disturbance may act independently. They also don’t believe that activists fighting against corruption, can be independent people who want to change the country”, — says Daria kaleniuk, Executive Director of the “center of corruption counteraction”.
Since there is no independent judiciary, the fight is in the press. Activists support journalists who raise the issue of corruption.
The government responds that we need to reform a lot of questions: country is a party of war, internal refugees — half a million.
“War is used as an explanation. However, the openness of the system would help to obtain more effective weapons and better food for the soldiers, if no one is deceived. I used to work in the national security Council and defense of Ukraine, and our partners, primarily the Americans, saying that could supply us with weapons if it were confident that they because of corruption will not fall to the enemy,” says yurchishin.
Activists, however, remain optimistic.
“During the Yanukovych leadership is not listening to the society. The current government listens to society and international partners”, says yurchishin.
“Attacks on us and all the activists against corruption, began only when the reforms for combating corruption has begun to show results. That’s good,” recalls kaleniuk.
Outside the court Simonovsky turns to look at the place where in March held a rally.
“Maidan has not changed the state structure, but the society he’s changed,” he says.
“Among ordinary citizens the level of corruption has decreased. Bribery has become something shameful. Before giving money to traffic police officers seemed to be something natural. Now if anyone admits that he gave a bribe, then later with constraint of trying to explain why”.
