The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on Friday adopted a resolution banning officials, including deputies, judges, prosecutors or representatives of local authorities, from traveling abroad for leisure or without having «valid reasons».
«It is possible to go abroad for negotiations, for treatment, to take care of minor children. Not on vacation,» noted Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal, adding that this measure is consistent «during the war» in the country.
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski signed a decree on January 23 specifying that Ukrainian officials could only travel abroad on business trips and not for leisure or unjustified reasons, UNIAN news agency recalled.
Ukrainian presidential advisor Mikhail Podoliak defended the measure, assuring that «no blind eye will be turned.» «During the war, everyone must understand their responsibility. The president sees and listens to society and responds directly to a key demand of the public: justice for all,» he said on his Twitter profile.
This move also comes after last January 26, Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk denied having sent MP Mikola Tishchenko to Thailand after it was reported that he was on a trip to this Asian country. Subsequently, the deputy was expelled for his behavior from the ranks of the People’s Servant party, the president’s party.
In addition, the initiative to ban leisure travel by Ukrainian officials coincides with the dismissal of more than a dozen senior officials following the uncovering of several scandals in the Ministry of Defense and the arrest of a deputy minister for allegedly accepting bribes.
These corruption accusations also led David Arajamia, leader of Servidor del Pueblo, to impose prison sentences against the officials implicated in these cases. «Since February 24 (of 2022, the date of the start of the Russian invasion), officials at all levels have been warned through official and unofficial channels: focus on the war, help the victims, reduce bureaucracy and avoid dubious business,» he said on Telegram on Monday.
Ukraine has in the past been the scene of numerous corruption cases and Transparency International ranked it 122nd out of 180 in 2021 in its corruption perception survey. The fight against such crimes is also one of the key demands of the European Union (EU) in the framework of the process for its possible accession to the bloc, something firmly rejected by Russia.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
