Petition to Cabinet to abolish posting bails for top corrupt officials garners 25,000 votes
A petition on the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers’ website calling for the abolition of bail as a preventive measure for top corrupt officials during martial law has received the required number of votes for consideration.
According to the government’s website, the petition was submitted on February 18 and, as of May 19, had received the required 25,000 votes for consideration.
"Today, Ukrainian military personnel risk their lives, while officials suspected of corruption can be released within days or hours after posting bail. This is outrageous and evokes a profound sense of injustice among millions of Ukrainians. Therefore, I propose abolishing bail as a preventive measure for top-level corrupt officials during martial law and submitting a bill with these amendments," the petition says.
The petitioner believes that such a decision is necessary because: martial law creates a heightened level of public danger from corruption crimes; the theft or misuse of resources allocated for national defense effectively harms national security; the possibility of posting bail in cases involving top-level corrupt officials creates a public perception of inequality before the law; and similar restrictions have already been applied to crimes against the foundations of national security.
He clarified that he proposes to apply the relevant restrictions to the following positions: the president, the prime minister, members of the Cabinet of Ministers, members of parliament, heads of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), the prosecutor general, Supreme Court judges, civil servants of categories A and B, and heads of local government.
According to the author, the following types of crimes should be taken into account in this context: misappropriation or embezzlement of property; abuse of power; acceptance/provision of an undue benefit; abuse of influence; illicit enrichment, provided that this concerns budgetary funds and the defense of the state during martial law.
