Ukrainian watchdogs fume that president’s proposal to put wartime corruption on par with treason will give more power to state security service.

By equating corruption to treason, Zelenskyy’s office is manipulating the public’s desire for justice, said Vitaly Shabunin, head of the Anti-Corruption Action Center (Antac), a Ukrainian nongovernmental organization that monitors graft. In reality, Shabunin added, Zelenskyy’s office is pursuing other goals: to protect high-level officials from corruption charges and obtain tools to destroy opponents.

  • SirEDCaLot@lemmy.fmhy.net
    1·
    1 year ago

    Interesting.

    Ukraine is known for thorough corruption at many levels of government. Zelenskyy first got elected for that reason- he was originally an actor who starred in a movie about a politician who decided to end corruption. He then ran for office on that platform and won. But when the system is thoroughly corrupt through and through, fixing it is not an overnight process.

    My initial thought is perhaps this anti-corruption unit is itself corrupt, so it’s making up an excuse to justify its own existence.

    As for high profile corruption being swept under the rug- what I know of Zelenskyy suggests he would be less likely to turn a blind eye to that. I could of course be wrong though. And I suspect if he brings a high profile treason corruption case against a few well known people and has them jailed or shot for treason, that will send a very strong message to the rest that this isn’t tolerated anymore.
    That will of course put a target on Zelenskyy’s back, but that’s always been the case (especially since Russia invaded).

    • diffuselight@lemm.ee
      0·
      1 year ago

      Razor. Dude didn’t take the treasury and a US Uber at the start of the war but signed up for the hard stuff of leading the country.

      This simple miscalculation in character cost Putine everything.

      Whatever draft dodgers like Trump are accusing him of - the reality remains, he did not run and instead bailed western balls to the wall to give his country what it needs to beat the vatniks

      • SirEDCaLot@lemmy.fmhy.net
        1·
        1 year ago

        Yes exactly. And that’s why I don’t jump to the assumption that Zelenskyy himself is corrupt or he is covering for the corruption of others.
        A dude that would tolerate corruption doesn’t say ‘I need ammunition not a ride’. He could have bailed at any point, still could. But he shows no signs of losing resolve.
        If Zelenskyy is trying to keep inner circle corruption private to avoid public spectacle, I suspect that whoever is found guilty will probably end up wishing they were arrested publicly rather than dealing with the security service.