Ukraine has been consistent in fighting corruption, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has said.
"I declare that Ukraine has been taking consistent steps to improve anti-corruption legislation and to effectively fight corruption," he said in Kyiv on Wednesday at a meeting of the National Anti-Corruption Committee.
According to him, the adoption of the law on access to public information was an important step in fighting corruption.
In addition, Yanukovych said that another important future step would be the adoption of new laws on public prosecutor’s office and the police.
The president said that the draft Criminal Procedure Code is virtually complete.
Yanukovych said that the government will soon set up a working group to develop criminal laws, and that these draft laws would be sent to the Venice Commission, which would determine whether they complied with European standards.
He also pointed to the need to improve the Criminal Code.
In particular, Yanukovych noted that some economic crimes should be punished with fines and not imprisonment.
The president said that many European countries apply substantial fines for economic crimes.
"If you steal, you should pay three times as much," he said.
