The prime minister urged his cabinet colleagues to be
brave enough to do it, saying it was like shutting one's eyes before
parachuting out of a plane.
Yuri Novikov, head of MIRANDA company, which designed the original software for the e-declaration system, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Kiev, Ukraine, August 26, 2016. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
But as the deadline for its completion nears, an
IMF-backed reform forcing Ukrainian politicians and officials to declare their
assets online is facing what some lawmakers and anti-corruption activists say
are persistent attempts to sabotage it.
"There is an attempt to discredit the system in
order to destroy it technically, physically," said Viktor Chumak, an
independent lawmaker and the deputy head of the parliament's committee on
fighting corruption.
The reform comes at a critical time for Ukraine. More
than two years after street protests ousted a Kremlin-backed president,
political leaders in Kiev must be seen to make good on promises to transform
the country and tackle corruption.
The reform has faced hostility from the start, and the
original August launch date was delayed because the software wasn't given
security clearance. Several lawmakers introduced bills to try to water the
reform down and others want it delayed.
The system finally went live in September but MPs say
it is full of problems that make it difficult to complete the form properly.
Its designer says those problems were introduced after he handed control of the
software to the authorities.
The consequences of Ukraine missing the Oct. 30
deadline for some 50,000 people to declare their wealth may be far-reaching,
and the prospect of that happening prompted the EU to send an urgent letter to
the speaker of parliament.
The International Monetary Fund sees the deadline as a
"structural benchmark", and failing to meet it would weaken the case
for the IMF to disburse more aid as part of a $17.5 billion bailout by the end
of this year.
UNPRECEDENTED DISCLOSURE
Artem Shevalev, Ukraine's representative to the
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, said it didn't look feasible
for Ukraine to implement difficult reforms such as the asset declaration system
by then.
"When I read some of the feedback from some of my
colleagues in Kiev it is clear it is very difficult technically, but also the
level of disclosure is unprecedented," Shevalev said.
"It's
anything, literally anything, even down to every piece of jewelry you
have."
The EU has linked the reform to granting a visa-free
regime to Ukraine. If the reform fails, it would add to the impression that
Kiev's Western-backed leaders do not have the will to tackle corruption. Other
measures, such as privatizing state companies or cleaning up the customs
service, also face threats.
"It is absolutely obvious for me that the
president's declarations to the international community, that the system would
operate fully, are artificial in order to create an image that Ukraine is
fulfilling its obligations," said Oleksandra Drik, head of the Civic
Lustration Committee, an anti-corruption body.
Politicians have had to fill in asset declaration
forms before, but the new one is more comprehensive and carries prison
sentences for false statements.
President Petro Poroshenko told local television on
Sunday that the form was not perfect and he didn't much like it.
"But it cannot be a reason not to fill it
in," he said, and he would submit his on time.
TESTED TO DESTRUCTION
Based on the principle that sunlight is the best
disinfectant, the measure was designed to expose the wealth of politicians, officials,
prosecutors and judges in a country that thrives on kickbacks and tax evasion.
Some politicians, officials and businessmen have
amassed fantastic wealth. To many, this was encapsulated by the luxurious
residence of Viktor Yanukovich, the Russian-backed president who fled into
exile two years ago.
Similarly,
police found 42 kilograms of gold and $4.8 million in cash during a search of
the apartments of former Energy Minister Eduard Stavytsky two years ago. And
last year, large quantities of diamonds and cash were found at the homes of two
high-ranking prosecutors.
As of Monday,
just over half the 50,000 declarations had been submitted. Prime Minister
Volodymyr Groysman said his was almost done.
"I think
it's something like a parachute jump," Groysman said at a televised
government meeting. "Close your eyes and jump. It needs to be done once
and everything will fall into place. If you're afraid, don't be."
The man whose
company MIRANDA designed the software said he handed over control in August to
a state anti-corruption body, which asked the State Service of Special
Communication to make changes to the program.
After that,
"all sorts of errors and problems" were introduced, said Yuri
Novikov, the designer. "The video tutorials are still ours, but the system
is different. We look at the system and understand that all this is very
sad."
For example, one
addition asks for the passport numbers of dead relatives who have passed on
inheritances, even though Ukrainians often hand passports in to the authorities
when a person dies, Novikov said.
Another addition
is that the system now asks how much physical cash a person holds and then asks
for the name of the bank where they've stored it: a contradiction in terms that
several MPs identified as a problem to completing the form.
The State
Service of Special Communication and Information Protection did not respond to
a request for comment.
"The form
that we fill was revised by the State Service of Special Communication. In the
end, they broke it," Serhiy Leshchenko, a lawmaker and activist, wrote on
Facebook.
(Additional
reporting by Marc Jones in LONDON; Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by
Giles Elgood)
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