OREANDA-NEWS. On June 11, 2009 The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has approved a package of anti-corruption laws elaboration of which were supported by the Government. They are laws “On the principles of prevention and counteraction to corruption”, “On responsibility of juridical persons for commitment of corruption offence” and “On making changes to certain legislative acts concerning responsibility for corruption offence”.

“It is a significant leap forward in the issues of corruption fight. Approval of these laws is envisaged by a series of recommendations of the Group of State Against Corruption (GRECO) and directed to realization of the most important anti-corruption reforms awaited by Ukrainian society,” the Governmental anti-corruption policy commissioner Yurii Sukhov explained.

In the approved laws definitions of such notions as “close relatives”, “conflict of interests”, “corruption”, “corruption offence” and “gift” are proposed.

Thereupon, the laws define responsibility of juridical persons for commitment of corruption offences by the commissioned persons and also determine the order of calling them to account. The action of Law doesn’t spread to juridical persons of public law who are supported from the state or local budgets as well as to international organizations.

It is envisaged that juridical persons can be punished by the court in the following ways: a fine, ban to perform certain kind of activity; confiscation of property; liquidation of juridical person.

Besides, the laws determine new rates of responsibility for abuse of power: a fine from 150 up to 900 minimum revenues of citizens not levied by tax, imprisonment for a term of up to 7 years.

“The package of elaborated by the Government and approved by the Verkhovna Rada laws contains a number of new provisions which will enable moving further along the way of corruption fight and approaching the set by the Government of Yulia Tymoshenko task – to extirpate corruption in Ukraine,” Yurii Sukhov urged.