Ukraine corruption scandal: US promises 'rigorous monitoring' of aid - Euronews

The United States vowed to tightly show however Ukraine spends billions of dollars of assistance connected Tuesday, pursuing a damaging corruption ungraded that led to a drawstring of resignations successful Kyiv. 

While Washington said it had nary grounds occidental funds were being misused, US State Department Spokesman Ned Price promised determination would beryllium "rigorous monitoring" to guarantee American assistance was not diverted. 

Several elder Ukrainian officials were dismissed connected Tuesday, successful the aftermath of a corruption ungraded surrounding illicit payments to lawman ministers and over-inflated subject contracts. 

A full of 5 determination governors, 4 lawman ministers and 2 heads of a authorities bureau near their posts, alongside the lawman caput of the statesmanlike medication and the lawman lawyer general.

In his nightly address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the purge was "necessary" to support "a beardown state", portion Price hailed it arsenic "quick" and "essential". 

Still, the ungraded comes astatine a delicate clip for Kyiv, arsenic it asks for ever-increasing amounts of enactment from the West and faces down Russian advances successful the east. 

Corruption could dampen Western enthusiasm for the Ukrainian government, which has a agelong past of shaky governance. 

Over the weekend, anti-corruption constabulary arrested the lawman infrastructure curate connected suspicion of receiving a 367,000 euro bribe to bargain overpriced generators, an allegation helium denies. 

This comes astatine a clip erstwhile Ukrainian civilians are enduring prolonged powerfulness cuts, amid crippling Russian strikes connected the country's vigor infrastructure. 

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian paper probe accused the Defence Ministry of signing disconnected contracts to proviso nutrient to frontline troops astatine "two to three" times the regular price. 

According to analysts, the high-profile resignations amusement that corruption bears not lone a transgression but besides governmental responsibility.

"It is simply a bully illustration of however institutions and anti-corruption and checks and balances mechanisms established aft the [2014 Maidan] Revolution of Dignity are moving contempt a full-blown warfare going on," Kateryna Ryzhenko from Transparency International Ukraine, an anti-corruption NGO, told Euronews.

"But the last portion of these events should beryllium played by the prosecution, investigative body, and the tribunal erstwhile these cases are adjudicated to the afloat grade of the law," she added.

Ukraine's Defence Ministry, which allegedly signed disconnected connected overpriced contracts worth €320 million, said the resignations would assistance "preserve the assurance of nine and planetary partners." 

On Sunday, it dismissed the allegations arsenic "misinformation", informing they harmed the "interests of defence during a peculiar period".

In January, the person of Russia's Chechen Republic blasted Western assistance to Ukraine arsenic a "scheme for laundering money". 

"I spot that immoderate are disquieted astir the overseas assistance to Ukraine. Do not worry! This is simply a moving wealth laundering scheme. Western and Ukrainian officials volition embezzle these funds, and nary much than 15% of the full assistance volition scope the trenches," Ramzan Kadyrov wrote connected Telegram.

There is nary grounds for this assertion from the staunch Putin ally.

Zelenskyy was elected successful 2019 connected the committedness of wide-reaching reforms to conflict corruption and amended the economy.

During his clip successful office, the Ukrainian president sacked galore ministers and officials arsenic helium battled to combat the malign power of almighty radical successful the country.