Representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) visited the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) as part of an official visit and discussions with Ukrainian authorities on the eighth review of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF).
The head of the NACP, Viktor Pavlushchyk, drew the attention of IMF representatives to the particular effectiveness and speed of returning funds to the Ukrainian budget through civil forfeiture. According to the results of lifestyle monitoring in the first quarter of 2025 alone, the NACP forwarded 15 cases to law enforcement agencies, of which nine cases worth over UAH 51.3 million were forwarded to the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO). At the same time, nine lawsuits worth UAH 32.2 million have already been filed with the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC). For comparison: in 2024, 20 cases worth almost UAH 90 million were transferred to the SAPO, lawsuits worth over UAH 41.94 million were filed with the HACC, and UAH 24.72 million was collected for the budget. In other words, the pace of detection and collection of funds is only increasing and growing.
"I would also like to note the improvement of the tool for comprehensive verification of declarations. The NACP has improved the configuration of the logical and arithmetic control module of the Register of Declarations in order to focus on verifying declarations submitted by public servants under investigation by the NABU. We also expect assistance from partners to improve the procedure for selecting declarations submitted by representatives of sectors with high corruption risks, including in the field of reconstruction and restoration. In particular, we need to implement technological solutions, such as the creation of a DWH at the NACP, which will lead to increased efficiency,’ said Viktor Pavluschyk.
The expertise and support of the IMF would be extremely valuable to the NACP in strengthening its financial control functions and, more generally, in improving the effectiveness of the NACP as an independent anti-corruption body.
It should be recalled that in April 2025, during a meeting between the NACP Head and IMF representatives as part of a Ukrainian delegation's visit to the United States, they expressed support for maintaining the lifestyle monitoring tool, which has proven effective in identifying unjustified assets and preventing corruption. Particular emphasis was placed on preventing legislative changes that could significantly limit the NACP's powers to verify the legality of officials' assets.
The International Monetary Fund mission, led by Gavin Gray, is on a working visit to Ukraine from 19 to 23 May 2025. The visit aims to assess Ukraine's implementation of its commitments under the current cooperation programme with the IMF. A meeting was recently held with the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Minister of Justice of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna, which marked a step forward in the ongoing dialogue on ensuring adequate support for reforms that are critical for Ukraine's economic stability and its path towards full European integration.