Post War Ukraine must be free from corruption to ensure that Russian reparations, Ukrainian taxpayers money and international financial assistance reaches the places that it will be desperately needed, not into the pockets of corrupt officials taking bribes, laundering money and committing fraudulent acts to line their own pockets.
That is according to global counter corruption consultancy Pavocat, established in 2019 to develop and deliver practical and effective measures designed to counter corruption in all its forms for both business and public sector organisations.
Professor Lee Marler, Co-founder and Director at Pavocat said, “It is notable that President Zelensky came to office on a mandate of stamping out corruption in Ukrainian society. That progress has been slow, but recent events leading to the sacking or resignation of fifteen officials, six of them after allegations of corruption, is progress nonetheless.”
The nature of corruption often means that supply chains or infrastructure are vulnerable to opportunists seeking personal financial gain, and Ukraine is no exception. Former deputy minister of infrastructure, Vasyl Lozinskyi has been detained by investigators and subsequently fired. He is accused of inflating the price of equipment vital for Winter operations like generators, and skimming off US $400,000. Vyacheslav Shapovalov, Deputy Minister of Defence has resigned following allegations that the Defence Ministry was paying inflated prices for food for Ukrainian soldiers.
The international community must come together in post war Ukraine to help the Ukrainian people to rebuild the damage done by Russian aggression, but it also has the right to expect the highest standards of financial and ethical transparency and responsibility before aid is provided to the Ukrainian Government.
That means that that Ukrainian Government must put in place counter corruption measures including education, robust processes and organisational change that reduces the risk of corrupt activity in the first place, and identifies and defeats it quickly and effectively should it occur.
Counter corruption measures should be a prerequisite to agreeing international funding.
Prof. Lee Marler said, “It is vital that every penny that Ukraine receives in reparations and aid is accounted for correctly, and reaches the projects that it is earmarked for. There can be no excuses, and no room for opportunists and malign actors to corrupt the Ukrainian system when aid arrives to rebuild the devastation caused by Russia’s illegal war.”
According to Statista, at the end of September 2022 Russia had inflicted an estimated US $50.5 billion of damage to vital infrastructure. Over 50% of this damage is reported to have been sustained by residential buildings.
In another report published by the Kyiv School of Economics at around the same time, Russian bombs have caused US $108.3 billion of damage to the country’s infrastructure. On the same day, the Ukrainian defence Ministry released figures estimating that 3.5 million people have been left homeless.
Researchers estimate that it will cost US $185 billion to repair and rebuild Ukrainian infrastructure.
Prof Lee Marler said, “These figures are, clearly, eye-watering, and will, without doubt, attract the wrong attention in terms of those people seeking personal financial gain from the misery of war. President Zelensky must put in place a robust counter corruption methodology that protects the finance required in post war Ukraine to replace destroyed infrastructure and the rights of the people of Ukraine.”
ENDS