WSJ: Kyiv struggles to battle rampant corruption
Ukrainian lawmakers fight each other right after Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenuk’s speech during a parliamentary session in the Parliament in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday Dec. 11, 2015. (AP Photo)
Nearly two years after revolution, Ukrainians say government is falling short of promise to tackle graft
At a parliamentary meeting on combating corruption, Ukrainian lawmaker Volodymyr Parasyuk sought to land his own blow against graft—by kicking in the face an official he says owns luxury properties worth much more than a state salary could provide.
Almost two years after a revolution that brought down a president, Mr. Parasyuk’s outrage reflects public frustration that the new government isn’t doing enough to tackle the rampant corruption that fueled the uprising and that keeps Ukraine among the poorest nations in Europe.
“I wanted to remind him that he is made of the same sweat and blood as the rest of us, because that is what these bureaucrats forget,” said the 28-year-old, one of the most visible protesters in the demonstrations that helped oust pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014. He has since apologized to the nation for the attack in parliament in November, but says he won’t do the same to the official, who denies enriching himself.
In the chaotic and combative politics of Ukraine—where parliament is the site of frequent mass brawls—it is hard to untangle all the overlapping corruption allegations and squabbling over who is to blame. Mr. Parasyuk himself was named this week as receiving money from an organized crime suspect, a claim he denies.
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