NABU Reveals Surprising Data on Corrupt Officials in Ukraine.

Corruption in Ukraine: Who is Behind the Barriers?

According to the Department of Anti-Corruption Policy of NABU, only 16% of individuals who were held accountable for corruption crimes are state officials. In most cases, the corrupt are middle-aged individuals without higher education.

'Year by year, we observe a decrease in the percentage of convictions among persons authorized to perform state functions. In 2023, only 16% of all convicted for corruption crimes are state officials. This means that individuals who attempted to solve their issues by bribing officials mostly do not belong to the category of persons authorized to perform functions of the state or local self-government.'

According to Kharchenko, more than half of those convicted for corruption offenses are Ukrainians aged 30 to 50. Interestingly, 80% of those held accountable for offering or promising unlawful advantages do not have higher education.

'If we consider the decisions made by courts that have entered into legal force, we cannot overlook the fact that 80% of individuals are held accountable under Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, that is, for offering or promising unlawful advantages. At the same time, among those convicted, 29% have higher education. And among those convicted under Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, only 17% have higher education. This means that bribes are given by less educated individuals who are not authorized to perform state functions.'

Thus, statistics indicate that most corrupt officials in Ukraine are middle-aged people without higher education who are not connected to state structures.