You're reading: EBRD, Ukraine’s government to create position of business ombudsman to fight corruption

 The government of Ukraine and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) have signed a memorandum of understanding for a Ukrainian anti-corruption initiative that foresees the establishment of the post of business ombudsman.

The document was signed by Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk and EBRD President Suma Chakrabarti on May 12.

“For business this means that they have an independent person who has
the right to publicly appeal to the government if cases of corruption
are seen at customs, the tax services, the public authorities, or at
state regulators – in which the rights of entrepreneurs are violated,”
Yatseniuk said.

According to the prime minister, the establishment of a post of
business ombudsman will provide the EBRD and other foreign investors
with confidence that the funds they invest in the Ukrainian economy will
be used transparently.

Yatseniuk noted that a business ombudsman would be elected by
consensus between profile business associations working in Ukraine and
the government of the country.

“The government will get a public critic who will monitor cases of
corruption and clearly say how to overcome them, and what acts and other
legal documents are to be adopted for the development of business,” he
said.

According to Yatseniuk, a business ombudsman should be a person with significant experience of working in the field of business.

The EBRD president, in turn, stressed the importance of signing this
document as “now business representatives will get more confidence in
the issue of the protection of their business.”