Odesa Regional Council Adopts New Anti-Corruption Program

On September 12, deputies of the Odesa Regional Council approved the Anti-Corruption Program for 2025-2027, which will be sent to the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption to replace the one that the agency did not approve in August.

According to Roman Lebedev, head of the legal department of the regional council's staff, the new program, among other things, provides for the anti-corruption commissioner to report to the deputies at sessions at least twice a year.

Deputy Oleksandr Akhmerov asked whether the amendment that the chairman of the council should report on the implementation of the program was taken into account, but he was told that it was not. MP Yulia Boyko said that the program did not take into account her proposals for openness and transparency of the council's activities. In particular, the deputy stated that she had proposed to publish full information on the regional council's website about the charters, financial reports and the use of funds, but these proposals were not taken into account.

Also, in her opinion, the accessibility of information on the activities of municipal institutions and departments in the Odesa Regional Council is not ensured and no digital transformation is taking place in the regional council. The deputies invited their colleague to join the working group.

In the end, the program was approved, although deputy Serhii Hrynevetskyi did not rule out that after it was reviewed by the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption, the program would be returned for revision a second time.

In August, the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) refused to approve the anti-corruption program of the Odesa Regional Council for 2025-2027, citing numerous shortcomings. The previous program, in particular, ignored the public: it did not have information about proposals from external stakeholders (the public, experts) and the results of their consideration.

Кирило Бойко