'Kent said that seven years after Ukrainian citizens drove from power the corrupt administration of President Viktor Yanukovych, the judiciary system remained "flawed," while oligarchs continue to call the shots.
"The time has now come...to start making the tough decisions to rein in the influence of oligarchs and the systemic corruption," Kent said.
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"It's time for the Ukrainian leadership and the justice system -- rather than not making decisions against corrupt oligarchs -- to use Ukrainian institutions to go after corrupt Ukrainians and hold them to account," he said.
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Kent said the integrity of institutions was just as important, adding that corrupt judges lead to "corrupt independent institutions."
The two judges were believed to be beholden to oligarchic interests and blocking critical reforms necessary to put Ukraine on the path toward European integration, Ukrainian anti-corruption advocates claim.''A senior U.S. State Department official has said it is time for Ukraine to tackle corruption and weak institutions, including going after Dmytro Firtash, whose natural-gas holdings have made him one of the country's most notorious, and powerful, oligarchs.
The April 8 comments by George Kent, the deputy U.S. assistant secretary of state who oversees Ukraine, come as President Joe Biden makes Kyiv's progress on reforms a greater priority in the bilateral relationship.
Speaking at a meeting of the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council, Kent said graft and a weak judiciary made up an "internal threat" in Ukraine..
Kent said that seven years after Ukrainian citizens drove from power the corrupt administration of President Viktor Yanukovych, the judiciary system remained "flawed," while oligarchs continue to call the shots.
"The time has now come...to start making the tough decisions to rein in the influence of oligarchs and the systemic corruption," Kent said.
In his speech, Kent highlighted Firtash, a tycoon who made his initial wealth trading Russian natural gas in the 1990s, as an example of Ukraine's flawed justice system.
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Ukraine has never charged Firtash with a crime. He continues to make millions of dollars a year in the country's graft-ridden energy industry through his control of gas-distribution companies.
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"It's time for the Ukrainian leadership and the justice system -- rather than not making decisions against corrupt oligarchs -- to use Ukrainian institutions to go after corrupt Ukrainians and hold them to account," he said.
..
Kent said the integrity of institutions was just as important, adding that corrupt judges lead to "corrupt independent institutions."
The two judges were believed to be beholden to oligarchic interests and blocking critical reforms necessary to put Ukraine on the path toward European integration, Ukrainian anti-corruption advocates claim.
In response to a question on whether the West was failing to stop the flow of corrupt Ukrainian money into its banking system, Kent said recent Justice Department actions against Kolomoyskiy showed the United States is taking a tougher stand on the issue.'
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Top U.S. Official Calls On Ukraine To Crack Down On Oligarchs, Including Gas Billionaire, April 8, 2021
Context(Ukraine) - 'Priority should be in judicial reform and refraining from attacks on anti-corruption institutions'(Ukraine)(UkraineInvest) - '..long-term institutional anti-corruption measures that have shone a light into the darker corners of the economy and created transparency.'(Ukraine) - 'Kharkiv .. substantial (foreign) investment is held back by a corrupted governance structure and a business environment ruled by criminal interests.'(Open Source)(Open Science)(Open Manufacturing) - Covid-19 Pressures Rival Vaccine Producers to Being Friendly Enemies - 'Companies should try this win-win-win arrangement more often.''EU plotting ban on internal combustion engine as of 2025..' - '..to have every car manufactured in America be electric by 2030..'LPPFusion - Cheap, Safe, Clean, Unlimited and Decentralized Energy, March 2021
Estimate: October, 2025 – Safire Plasma (fusion) Reactors commercially available – Abundance