Urban planning, land management, public procurement and the work of utilities are the areas with the highest corruption risks in Ternopil Region. This was stated by Deputy Head of the NACP Serhii Hupiak during a working visit to Ternopil.
NACP representatives discussed corruption prevention in these and other sectors at meetings with the leadership of the Ternopil Regional Military Administration (RMA), regional and city councils, and law enforcement agencies. NACP's dialog with the regions is aimed at establishing constructive cooperation for the effective implementation of the state anti-corruption policy with a focus on local issues.
"Ternopil region is being actively built up, in particular, due to internal migration caused by the war. However, there are significant risks of violations in the allocation of land plots, conclusion of investment agreements and land lease agreements. The community and the local budget should benefit from such projects in the form of budget revenues, landscaping, infrastructure development, and the development itself should be carried out in a transparent manner, in compliance with land, urban planning and anti-corruption legislation,” said Deputy Head of the NACP Serhii Hupiak at a meeting with local authorities.
He emphasized that NACP plans to conduct a comprehensive analysis of corruption risks in urban development using Ternopil as an example and develop recommendations for central specialized agencies to eliminate and reduce such risks in all cities. Urban planning and land management are one of the most corrupt areas in Ukraine, according to sociological surveys, law enforcement, media, and the public.
The Deputy Head of the NACP noted the need for all agencies to implement the State Anti-Corruption Program (“SACP”) and emphasized that it is primarily the responsibility of the anti-corruption commissioners to work proactively to reduce risks, in particular through the system of corruption reporting. Currently, Ternopil City Council and its institutions are not connected to the Whistleblower Portal. The Ternopil Regional State Administration, the district administration and the regional council should ensure that their subordinate institutions are connected.
"Commissioners are the first advisers to the head of the city council, who should evaluate his or her decisions, warn about legal and reputational consequences, in particular, regarding conflicts of interest, combining positions, bonuses. However, 60% of those who contact the NACP's contact center have either not contacted their anti-corruption ombudsmen or have not received any assistance. The involvement of the Commissioners should increase,” emphasized Serhii Hupiak.
He also spoke about the methodology of analyzing contractors, researching corruption risks in public utilities and public procurement. NACP can provide local authorities with recommendations on how to improve the situation in these areas.
He also spoke about the methodology for analyzing counterparties and researching corruption risks in public utilities. NACP can provide local authorities with recommendations to improve the situation.
Vyacheslav Nehoda, the head of the regional regional administration, assured that the regional authorities are taking steps to create conditions under which corruption would not exist. To this end, the region is implementing its own anti-corruption program for 2022-2025 and is preparing new anti-corruption initiatives for the next period. The head of the Regional State Administration noted that the region understands the importance of openness and transparency in decision-making and is ready to cooperate with the NACP to fight corruption.
Bohdan Butkovskyi, Head of the Ternopil Regional Council, and Serhii Nadal, Mayor of Ternopil, spoke about anti-corruption measures taken by the regional and city councils.
NACP also held a training seminar for civil servants and local government officials in Ternopil region on important issues of the 2024 declaration campaign, which runs until March 31.
Since the beginning of 2024, NACP has launched six full audits of declarations submitted by declarants from Ternopil region, four of which have been completed. In two of the four completed audits, the NACP found inaccurate information totaling more than UAH 2.2 million.
During the working visit to Ternopil region, NACP representatives also held a series of meetings with educators, students, representatives of NGOs and the media. We remind that the NACP launched the project of regional visits to strengthen cooperation with communities, local authorities, secondary and higher education institutions, journalists, NGOs, and to promote building integrity through community engagement. Representatives of the Agency have already visited Lviv, Dnipro, Chernivtsi, Zhytomyr, Ivano-Frankivsk, Vinnytsia, Lutsk, Cherkasy, Khmelnytskyi, Uzhhorod, Kharkiv, Odesa, Rivne and Kropyvnytskyi.
