Anti-corruption activists became active only when their own interests were threatened, although they had all the resources to fight corruption for years – political scientist
Kyiv • UNN
Political scientist Oleh Saakian criticized NABU and SAPO for their many years of low effectiveness despite significant resources and support from partners. He linked the agencies’ increased activity to a threat to their existence.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office had resources to fight corruption for years, including support from international partners. But they became active only when their own interests came under threat. Political scientist Oleh Saakyan expressed this opinion on “Apostrophe TV,” reports UNN.
Saakyan criticized the effectiveness of the anti-corruption agencies, which for years had high salaries, social guarantees, protected funding, and powerful international support.
"Have you seen the salaries of the people there? Have you seen the social benefits? With such support, NABU and SAPO […] should have produced results much earlier. And they only began producing results when an attempt was made to destroy them. Suddenly, motivation appeared. Because what is the motivation? You sit there, get fat, excuse me, because everything is fine. There is plenty of money, the money is reserved and protected, and no one will take away the funding. And if someone suddenly wants to take it away, the embassy calls and makes things extremely painful for those who want to take it away," Saakyan believes.
He believes that the activation of NABU and SAPO is connected with the fact that "the ground began to give way beneath their feet."
"Plus, there is external interest in this process…," the political scientist believes.
At the same time, he noted that the assessments of the specialists with whom he had spoken regarding NABU and SAPO do not provide grounds for saying that their qualifications have improved.