REUTERS
Ukraine is moving forward in its fight against corruption, but the changes have been somewhat slow, First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF David Lipton said in an interview with Tyzhden.ua.
The IMF official pointed out four dimensions to this issue. One of them is the existence of anti-corruption institutions, like the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) which has been created, as provided by the cooperation program, Tyzhden.ua reported.
The second dimension is transparency, that's e-declarations of assets of Ukraine's officials.
The third one is ensuring lawfulness. It is about internal governance, which both the president and the government should take seriously, according to Lipton.
Another dimension is the cleansing the country's banking system.
Read alsoIMF expects Ukraine to launch land market ASAPAccording to Lipton, the corruption in many countries stems from the ability of oligarchs to use banks to finance corrupt activities or companies, by carrying out illegal payments through financial institutions. There is less corruption in Eastern Europe where banks are well managed, he said.
The IMF official also added that another aspect of the fight against corruption was liberalization. The gas system was one of the epicenters of corruption in Ukraine. Cleansing Naftogaz and its structures, as well as price regulation excluding any possibility to buy imported gas cheaper and then sell it at higher prices, are among the ways of curbing corruption.
Read alsoUkraine, IMF agree on 99% of pension reform – social policy ministerHe said that Ukraine had taken important steps forward in some of these areas, while there is still much to be done in others. In some of them, the IMF can provide support, Lipton said, adding that some of those areas require political action by the country's leadership.