03 November 2016, Thursday, 20:25 134

G7 Ambassadors Welcome Completion Of First Phase Of Electronic Asset Declaration By Public Officials

Редактор: Даша Зубкова

Ambassadors of the Group of Seven leading industrial countries (United States, Canada, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, and Japan) in Ukraine have welcomed the completion of the first phase of electronic declaration of assets by public officials.

This is stated in a statement issued by the ambassadors, which is published on the website of the Japanese embassy in Ukraine, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"We commend the Government of Ukraine on completing the first phase of submissions to the e-Asset Declaration system. This is a milestone toward increasing transparency and accountability among public officials," the statement said.

The ambassadors said they recognized and appreciated the broad compliance with the relevant procedures throughout the government despite the technical glitches that initially complicated the process.

According to the ambassadors, the high compliance rate among high-level officials demonstrates that the system is functioning as intended and will serve as a reliable source of data for law enforcement authorities.

"We will continue to support efforts by President, Prime Minister, all Ukrainian state bodies, and civil society in the fight against corruption," the statement said.

According to the statement, it is crucial that the Ukrainian authorities continue to ensure the sustainability and independence of the system through external validation and by supporting anti-corruption legislation and bodies.

"This includes the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) having the capacity, resources, and independence to review the declaration data appropriately and administer the e-Asset declaration system," the statement said.

The ambassadors also said that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor (SAPO) should similarly be fully empowered, staffed, and funded to fully investigate and prosecute corruption cases.

According to the ambassadors, the NAPC, NABU, and SAPO should function as envisioned in Ukrainian law and to meet the expectations of the Ukrainian people.

The ambassadors also said that the establishment of an Agency for Asset Recovery and Management of Assets, should be completed as soon as possible.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the European Union's delegation to Ukraine has said that the electronic declaration will increase accountability of public servants and public confidence in them.