Ulana Suprun – reformer of the week

Anastasia Vlasova

Anastasia Vlasova

Acting Health Minister Ulana Suprun on Dec. 5 said that competitions for the jobs of state secretaries at her and other ministries were non-transparent and called for changes to the procedure.

A state secretary – a recently introduced institution – is the top-ranking civil servant at a ministry.

Suprun, Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan, and civic activists said at a news briefing that the selection of anti-reformist state secretaries at rigged competitions was a way for Ukraine’s corrupt bureaucracy to block ministers’ sound initiatives. Young, pro-reform candidates are effectively barred from the competitions, they argued.

“A comeback (by ex-President Viktor Yanukovych’s corrupt bureaucracy) is taking place,” Omelyan said, hinting that he could resign if the problem was not resolved. “And state secretaries are expected to ‘do business’. We’d like to warn society that we won’t be a façade and that no one will do business behind our backs.”

Natalia Sholoiko, who was chosen as the Health Ministry’s state secretary on Nov. 7, has a conflict of interest and has been accused of corruption, Suprun wrote on Dec. 8.

In November, Andriy Halushchak, an associate of Yanukovych-era official Vladyslav Kaskiv, became the Infrastructure Ministry’s state secretary. Kaskiv is wanted on corruption charges.

Meanwhile, Oleksiy Takhtai, an official who features in video footage where a corrupt deal is discussed, became the Interior Ministry’s state secretary last month.

The state secretaries deny the graft accusations.

The statements by Suprun and Omelyan follow an exodus of at least 23 reformers from the Ukrainian government earlier this year.

Suprun had been pushing for a healthcare reform package that was adopted by the Cabinet on Nov. 30. The measures will eliminate any interference by crooked state intermediaries by requiring doctors to enter into a contract with their patients.

Rouslan Radetzky – anti-reformer of the week

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Rouslan Radetzky, a deputy head of the National Agency for Preventing Corruption, and other top officials of the agency have so far failed to tackle large-scale corruption since officials filed electronic asset declarations by the Oct. 30 deadline.

Instead, Radetzky, an ally of President Petro Poroshenko, and Natalia Korchak, head of the agency and an associate of National Defense and Security Council Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov, have decided to go after reformist lawmaker Sergii Leshchenko.

The agency on said on Dec. 1 that Leshchenko’s purchase of a $281,000 apartment was an administrative infraction punishable with a fine. The agency said that an alleged Hr 1.8 million discount received by Leshchenko qualified as a gift.

Leshchenko, who denies the accusations and describes it as Poroshenko’s revenge for criticizing him, also included 50,700 euros and $102,000 in cash in his declaration.

The Dzerkalo Tyzhnya newspaper reported on Dec. 1, citing a source at the Presidential Administration, that Radetzky had been frequently meeting with Poroshenko’s Deputy Chief of Staff Oleksiy Filatov and other administration officials. Radetsky was instructed by the Presidential Administration to file a report on Leshchenko’s alleged administrative infraction, the source said. Radetzky declined to comment on the accusations.

Meanwhile, the National Agency for Preventing Corruption has failed to pay attention to the extraordinary wealth of many other officials.

State Fiscal Service Chief Roman Nasirov declared land plots with an area of 283,093 square meters, as well as $1.16 million, 450,000 euros and Hr 4.35 million in cash. He and his wife also declared five apartments and three houses. Meanwhile, People’s Front lawmaker Ihor Kotvitsky declared Hr 196.1 million, $500,000 and 250,000 euros in cash.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov declared a luxurious collection of premium wine bottles, high-end watches, pictures, including a Pablo Picasso one, and furniture, as well as Hr 265,000, $178,000 and 118,000 euros in cash.