IACAB’s Chairman Mr. Carlos Castresana spoke at the opening of the National Anticorruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) assessment and strategy presentation conference held in Kyiv 11 June 2018. The Conference was organised by the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI) in order to present the results of the technical assessment of NABU. This assessment was conducted by independent experts in the beginning of 2018 and was commissioned by the US Embassy in Ukraine and the EUACI on request of NABU.
In his speech during the opening ceremony of the conference Mr. Castersana compared the situation regarding the fight against corruption in Ukraine with a car. 'If we take an example of a car with different pieces, all the pieces have to work together for the car going somewhere. We have clear today because of the numbers and statistics that are public that NABU is the motor of this car. This engine is a powerful one, and its producing a lot of energy, but it’s still not there. And the problem must be in other place,' said Mr. Castresana.
He emphasized that the fight against corruption can only be effective if different pieces of the 'car' work together, and now this is a matter of concern. Continuing the analogy, he stressed that for the car to go somewhere the energy that it is producing has to be transmitted to the wheels – and this is the Prosecutor’s Office. 'The cases not only have to be investigated with the strong evidence, but have to be brought before the court of justic,' said Mr. Castresana. 'And also the gas that the motor needs, the NACP, the asset declarations, the information that has to be provided, is another concern. Finally the wheels themselves – the courts who adjudicate the cases'. Only if there is gas enough for the motor, if the motor is able to transmit this energy to the wheels, the wheels bring us somewhere, he concluded.
The full Technical Assessment is available here.
After the Conference IACAB’s Chairman also met with young Ukrainians in the Corruption Park.