Ukraine: Nasirov Case In Ukraine. NurPhoto/SIPA USA/PA Images. Press Association images. All rights reserved.In what’s been heralded as a turning point in the fight against corruption in Ukraine, a Kiev district court ruled on March 7th to place Ukraine’s chief of Fiscal Service, Roman Nasirov, under arrest pending embezzlement charges. His downfall is the latest example of how civil society can successfully challenge corrupt politicians in post-communist states, especially with support from the US and EU. While Brussels and Washington have often claimed bragging rights for these kinds of developments, simply portraying the West’s role as “positive” gives too much credit to the sometimes-hypocritical nature of American and European action (or lack thereof) in the region.
The arrest of Nasirov marks the first time such a powerful government figure in Ukraine has been held accountable on corruption charges, but this success wouldn’t have been possible without sustained grassroots pressure. When no judge could be found to oversee the hearing on Nasirov’s detention, hundreds of protesters surrounded the courthouse to prevent him from leaving before a judge arrived. This mobilization ultimately led to the historic March 7th decision that signalled the fall of an official long seen as untouchable due to his friendship with Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko.
Fresh off this victory, anti-corruption activists now hope to apply more pressure on the government and set up an independent court to handle graft cases. To be clear, civil society is probably best placed to tackle “the cancer of corruption”. Multiple sociological studies have shown time and time again that Ukrainians harbour deep distrust of all political institutions, severely limiting those bodies’ legitimacy. NGOs and activists on the other hand have gained popular trust, due to their active involvement in hashing out laws and in holding off the Russian invasion.
