{"id":2347,"date":"2020-12-15T16:49:35","date_gmt":"2020-12-15T16:49:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiofree.org\/?p=139606"},"modified":"2020-12-15T16:49:35","modified_gmt":"2020-12-15T16:49:35","slug":"ukrainian-lawmakers-restore-powers-of-anti-corruption-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2020\/12\/15\/ukrainian-lawmakers-restore-powers-of-anti-corruption-agency\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukrainian Lawmakers Restore Powers Of Anti-Corruption Agency"},"content":{"rendered":"
KYIV \u2013 The Ukrainian parliament has voted to restore the powers of the National Anti-Corruption Agency (NAZK) as Kyiv is seeking to secure new loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to fight a sharp economic slump triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n
NAZK’s chief Oleksandr Novikov hailed the December 15 vote at the Verkhovna Rada, saying it would allow the agency to “tackle corruption.”<\/p>\n
“NAZK resumes all it operations in all major directions now,” Novikov added.<\/p>\n
In October, Ukraine’s Constitutional Court struck down some anti-corruption legislation and curbed the powers of the NAZK, sparking tensions<\/a><\/strong> between President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the opposition, and members of the court.<\/p>\n The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv said the European Union, the United States, and several other nations were following developments<\/a><\/strong> surrounding the Constitutional Court’s ruling with “growing concern.”<\/p>\n The Verkhovna Rada\u2019s move comes amid international concerns over Kyiv’s slow progress on reforms and anti-corruption efforts that have hobbled the implementation of a $5 billion program agreed in June with the IMF.<\/p>\n Ukraine’s economy is expected to contract by 5 percent this year, dragged into recession by the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n The EU delegation to Kyiv has warned that its financial assistance was tied to Ukraine’s performance on corruption.<\/p>\nWith reporting by Reuters<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n\n