'..it is up to civil society and media to keep pressure on authorities to see the Nasirov case through.'<blockquote>'International financial institutions have threatened to hold up billions of dollars aimed at propping up Kyiv's fiscal goals and the currency, the hryvnya, without greater reform and better curbs on corruption. And last year, a handful of senior officials including cabinet ministers and the governor of Odesa resigned over what they said was a lack of political will to stem corruption.
Historic CaseDaria Kalenyuk, executive director of the Kyiv-based NGO Anticorruption Action Center, called Nasirov's arrest "historic" and one of the biggest legal challenges for Ukrainian authorities since the country spun off from the Soviet Union in 1991.
"It is the first time since [Ukraine's] independence that a person in such a top, influential office in Ukraine, through which millions of funds are transferred daily, has been arrested and charged with corruption," Kalenyuk told RFE/RL.
Poroshenko applauded the new National Anticorruption Bureau (NABU)'s case against Nasirov, who was elected to parliament on the president's Bloc of Petro Poroshenko party ticket in 2014 before being promoted to tax chief. He called it "a shining example" of the effectiveness of anticorruption reforms in Ukraine and proof of the bureau's independence.
"As of today, a high-ranking official is notified of suspicion without informing the president. I think this is exactly what we sought while creating an independent agency," Poroshenko said via his press service on March 6.
..
"Yes, we have problems with prosecutors, problems with our court systems, an inexperienced [NABU]. But we have an inspired Ukrainian society that is asking for justice," Nayyem said.
Kalenyuk said this is where a special, independent anticorruption court would come in handy. Activists hope one will be formed by year's end.
It is something that Kyiv's Western backers, including the United States, appear to support.
Until then, Kalenyuk said, it is up to civil society and media to keep pressure on authorities to see the Nasirov case through.
- Christopher Miller,
Courthouse Drama: Jailing Of Ukraine Tax Chief Could Signal Watershed In Fight Against 'Corrupt Untouchables', March 7, 2017</blockquote>
Context<blockquote>
Transparency International - The Global Anti-Corruption Coalition'..Ukraine, she says, "is looking toward the future." ..''“Corruption” is an inadequate word to describe the condition of Ukraine .. Ukraine’s political system is best described as state capture.'</blockquote>