OREANDA-NEWS. April 15, 2015. President Petro Poroshenko has held a meeting with finalists of the contest for the post of Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine Artem Sytnyk and Mykola Siryi.

The Head of State has congratulated the winners of the open contest. “It is a great achievement and a very important period in your life,” Petro Poroshenko said.

The President has noted that the contest for the post of Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau had been the first open and public contest for the high state post. “I didn’t interfere in the work of the Contest Commission and wanted foreign experts to be among the candidates. I was against age restrictions and the necessity of 10-year experience of legal practice. But I accept the choice of the Commission and will decide on the Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine as soon as possible,” the Head of State said.

Petro Poroshenko has noted that struggle against corruption was as important as struggle for sovereignty and territorial integrity. The President has great expectations with respect to the Bureau. “The elected person should demonstrate efficiency since the very first days of his work. There are more than enough authorities. And there will be no indulgence for corruption,” the President emphasized. There are no “umbrellas” for any corruption schemes in Ukraine. There will be no restrictions for the Director of the Bureau, except one – the efficiency of work,” the Head of State emphasized.

The President has discussed with candidates their vision of strategy and key elements of anti-corruption activities, the main features of the new body and its interaction with the prosecutor's office and other state agencies. "The key idea of the Anti-Corruption Bureau shouldn’t be revenge or violence. The key word should be "justice”,” he said, referring to the applicants.

The President has also underlined the importance of involving and using the best foreign experience in the sphere of countering corruption. He doesn’t object the involvement of foreign experts in the activities of the Bureau.

Applicants for the position of Director shared with the President their impressions from the competition, noting that it had taken place in transparent public environment. They presented their vision of basic principles and practices of the Bureau.

Mykola Siryi, inter alia, considers coordinated interaction with law enforcement bodies and successful use of foreign anti-corruption experience extremely important for the efficient work of the Bureau. "The Bureau shall be established under the European standards. Coordinated investigative units, which act quickly and effectively, should be key in its structure," the applicant said.

In his turn, Artem Sytnyk has emphasized that his anti-corruption strategy first of all provided for the monitoring of life of the highest state officials. At the same time, he prefers hiring new people in the law enforcement bodies.

The President has urged the future Director of the Bureau to promptly form his team and involve both Ukrainian and foreign experts from the countries with the most successful anti-corruption experience. “I am confident that the anti-corruption flywheel will be soon launched to full capacity and mercilessly squeeze corrupt officials,” the Head of State noted.

Under the Provision on the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, the Head of State should appoint the Director by April 17. The total number of applicants to the given post equaled 176 people.