Ukraine at 2018 PACE session: Day 4
27 April 2018, 16:45
Zero tolerance for corruption within PACE
"Ukrainian delegation sincerely congratulates the anti-corruption process int the PACE," -- Iryna Herashchenko
On April 26, the First Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Iryna Herashchenko took part in the debate on corruption within the PACE during the 2018 Ordinary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
When addressing, she lime-lighted the principles of integrity which the Assembly should be based upon. According to her, the Ukrainian delegation has always defended the Assembly’s values fundamentally and pointed out the violations of the basic principles by the former leaders steadily and methodically.
At the same time, the First Vice-Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament has also outlined a wide range of corruption-related issues in the PACE.
According to her, corruption, bribery, blackmailing are the elements of the hybrid war and methods that are being unfortunately applied in the PACE, by Russia in particular, at present and grossly violate the norms and principles of the Council of Europe and its Parliamentary Assembly.
She also remarked that the Ukrainian delegation has always protected the PACE principles of democracy, and would continue to undertake all necessary efforts in combating corruption and Russian lobbying at the Assembly.
Representatives of the Ukrainian delegation took an active part in the debate.
Leonid Yemets reported to the audience about the fight against corruption in Ukraine and announced creation of an anti-corruption court in Ukraine. He also proposed to do so for Europe.
Oleksii Honcharenko rigorously raised the issue of the responsibility of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe T. Jagland for his inaction regarding corruption within the Secretariat.
Serhii Vlasenko focused on the gross negligence displayed by the PACE Member States to effectuating the Assembly’s resolutions, which continues to bring impunity in its wake.
Boryslav Bereza reminded to the floor of the reiterated facts of "pushing through" the pro-Kremlin decisions by the Russia’s loyal lobbyists at the Assembly, and the latter used to close its eyes at that overt guile.
Olena Sotnyk spoke out on behalf of the legal committee and condemned the commission for not having considered the trip to Syria and urged the national parliaments to investigate the episodes and names mentioned in the report.