The National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) and the Basel Institute on Governance (Switzerland) have formalized their relationship in a memorandum of cooperation and started working together to combat corruption.
The Memorandum was signed on June 21, 2024, by NACP Head Viktor Pavlushchyk and Basel Institute President Peter Maurer on the sidelines of the International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) in Vilnius, Lithuania. It envisages strengthening the prevention of corruption, in particular, through the use of new digital tools and training for NACP employees involved in lifestyle monitoring and inspections of unjustified assets, as well as corruption risk analysis. Ukrainian specialists will now be able to use the achievements and tools of the Basel Institute.
The document agreed upon by the parties also provides for cooperation in the field of tracing and returning assets illegally withdrawn from Ukraine.
The NACP and the Basel Institute will coordinate actions in building anti-corruption capacity in the area of Ukraine's recovery, as well as engage experts with specialized knowledge in relevant fields to jointly conduct a strategic analysis of corruption risks in priority areas.
The Swiss side will help build technical capacity for the National Agency's staff, including by improving the quality of data analysis related to the declaration of assets of public officials.
"The NACP often deals with corruption cases that go beyond the borders of the country and are international in nature. When monitoring the lifestyle of public officials or checking their declarations, we have to identify illegally acquired assets hidden abroad. That is why it is extremely important for us to have the assistance of such powerful organizations as the Basel Institute on Governance in finding evidence of violations of anti-corruption legislation. The society expects us to take decisive steps and effective actions, to conduct real criminal proceedings with a clear evidence base and to deliver strict verdicts of the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine," said NACP Head Viktor Pavlushchyk.
For reference
The Basel Institute on Governance is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to fighting corruption and improving governance around the world. The Basel Institute's International Asset Recovery Center is known for supporting governments in investigating financial crimes and recovering illicit assets. The Institute has already been working productively with Ukraine, in particular, with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), the Prosecutor General's Office, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), and the State Bureau of Investigation, providing expert and technical support.
