Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, right, and European Council President Charles Michel shake hands during the EU-Ukraine summit in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 3, 2023. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office)
KYIV, Ukraine (Tribune News Service) — Ukrainian investigators found “large-scale corruption” at the Supreme Court, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government has come under pressure to root out graft as a condition for joining the European Union.
Some judges on the court received “illegal gains,” the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, or NABU, and anti-corruption prosecutors said, without giving further details.
NABU announced the investigation late Monday in a statement on Facebook. Calls to the Supreme Court made after business hours were not answered.
Ukraine has been reforming its court system since 2014 after massive street rallies toppled the government of President Viktor Yanukovych. A key demand of the protesters was that the authorities confront corruption that had become entrenched in the years after the country became indepedent after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Allies have also urged Ukraine to move forward with the reforms in exchange for financial support and stronger ties. Zelenskyy wants to start talks by the end of the year on joining to the EU, but Ukraine first needs to fulfill several requirements, mostly related to tackling corruption.
Olesia Safronova, Kateryna Choursina and Stephanie Baker contributed to this story.
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