Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that electronic financial reports by authorities should be made “immediately” available to the public, vetoing a bill that sparked outrage across the country.
Zelensky has emphasized the importance of transparency during the war, with multiple corruption scandals in recent months leading to the arrest or expulsion of public officials.
“Declarations should be open. Immediately. Not in a year. The registry should be opened now,” Zelensky said.
More than 80,000 Ukrainians signed a petition last week urging Zelensky to oppose legislation that would reinstate mandatory asset reports for politicians while keeping them hidden from the public view for another year.
“These restrictions are unacceptable,” Zelensky said, asking parliament to vote on opening the registries.
The author of the petition, Oleksandr Yabchanka, a senior lieutenant from the Da Vinci Wolves battalion, recently wounded at the front, told AFP he was “very happy” about the news.
“I live in a democratic country where public opinion has weight,” Yabchanka told AFP.
According to a poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) at the end of July, 89 percent of Ukrainians perceive corruption to be a severe concern, ranking second only to Russia’s invasion.
Several corruption scandals have rocked the defense ministry in recent months, prompting defence minister Oleksiy Reznikov’s departure.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February last year, Zelensky has frequently vowed to combat corruption – a major demand from Kyiv’s Western partners.