Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky published his income for two years on his presidential website, highlighting that it had decreased in 2021 and further decreased in 2022 with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, thus publicly declaring his income for the first time to promote transparency and fight corruption, reports Reuters.
Before the invasion, in 2021, Zelensky and his family declared an income of 10.8 million hryvnia (262 468 euros), down 12 million hryvnia from the previous year. The 2021 figure included income from the sale of government bonds of 142 000 US dollars (130 923 euro).
Zelensky’s family income fell even further in 2022, to 3.7 million hryvnias, as he received less income from the rental of real estate he owned at the outbreak of the war.
Volodymyr Zelensky has called on public officials to disclose their income
as Ukraine seeks European Union (EU) membership to improve transparency and fight corruption.
Western allies and international organisations, including the International Monetary Fund, have also asked for guarantees on anti-corruption efforts in order to be able to provide support with arms and financial aid.
On Saturday, Ukraine’s security service, the SBU, said it had uncovered a corruption scheme to buy weapons for the country’s armed forces worth almost 1.5 billion hryvnias (36.4 million euro), involving the purchase of 100 000 mortar rounds
involving officials from the Ministry of Defence and the Lviv Arsenal.
The investigation revealed a contract with Lviv Arsenal signed in August 2022, in which payment was made in advance but the weapons were not delivered. The funds were transferred abroad, and notices were sent to five suspects and one of the suspects attempted to cross the Ukrainian border.
The fight to eradicate widespread corruption remains one of the key issues as Ukraine seeks to secure membership of the EU, writes Reuters.
Also read: Week in Lithuania | China stops issuing visas to Lithuanians, MG Grupė appeals verdict in political corruption case
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