New composition of Public Anti-Corruption Council under Ministry of Defense announced
On January 13, 2025, a meeting of the Commission to ensure the competition for the formation of the Public Anti-Corruption Council under the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine was held.
Censor.NET reports this with reference to the website of the Ministry of Defence.
Following the nationwide online voting, 15 representatives of civil society organisations joined the Council:
- Hudymenko Yurii Volodymyrovych (Veteran's Ax)
- Nikolaienko Tetiana Volodymyrivna (Independent Anti-Corruption Commission)
- Shuba Anastasiia Vadymivna (Anti-Corruption Ax)
- Soloviov Mykyta Oleksandrovych (Anti-Corruption Ax)
- Shtankov Mykyta Volodymyrovych (Veteran's Ax)
- Brit Oresta Pavlivna (BON)
- Nyshporka Olena Ivanivna (Anti-Corruption Ax)
- Chernov Oleh Valeriyovych (Ukrainian Law Society)
- Kostetskyi Maksym Yuriiovych (Independent Anti-Corruption Commission)
- Bishchuk Viktor Pavlovych (Ukrainian Law Society)
- Trehub Olena Mykolaivna (Independent Anti-Corruption Commission)
- Datsenko Kateryna Andriivna (Center for Public Control)
- Mykytiuk Anton Serhiiovych (Center for Public Control)
- Masiuk Vitalii Volodymyrovych (Ukrainian Law Society)
- Prudkovskykh Viktor Vyacheslavovych (Center for Public Control)
The new composition of the Council will continue to implement civilian control of zero tolerance for corruption in the defence sector.
It is noted that no technical interventions that could significantly affect the results of the online elections were recorded.
Each participant in the online rating vote can also find and check how his or her vote was counted (without disclosing his or her personal data), as well as calculate the total number of votes for each candidate.
How did the voting go?
The nationwide online voting for the composition of the Public Anti-Corruption Council under the Ministry of Defence took place on January 7, 2025 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on the official website of the Ministry.
A total of 101,215 Ukrainians took part in the election of the new Rada, a record high, almost 2.5 times higher than in the previous election in 2023, when about 41,000 citizens voted.
How was the list of candidates formed and selected?
Nominations were open to NGOs that had been registered at least two years before the competition was announced. An important condition was that their statutory activities should be directly related to preventing and combating corruption.
Each organisation could nominate up to three candidates, and the nominees submitted public reports on their activities, disclosing their sources of funding over the past year.
As a result, a list of 19 civil society organisations and 40 candidates was formed, from which voters chose 15 future members of the Council.
How was voting transparency and security ensured?
The Ministry of Defence has implemented a multi-level security system to ensure an honest, open expression of will. In particular, experts prepared the software for various "high load" scenarios, conducted thorough testing, and provided options for quick response to possible emergency situations.
Voters were authenticated through the trusted BankID and Diia.Signature services. This made it impossible to create fake accounts and multiple voting.
Sensitive data during the voting process was encrypted and processed in a secure data processing centre for the ministry's official electronic resources.
Given the enemy's constant attacks on Ukraine's IT infrastructure, voting was limited to the territory of Ukraine.
How are the results calculated and verified?
To verify the results of the voting, a special Commission to ensure the conduct of the competition was established by an order of the Ministry of Defence. It was composed of representatives of the existing Public Anti-Corruption Council, NGOs and advisory and consultative bodies. Representatives of the Ministry of Defence did not have the right to vote in the commission, which ensures independence and non-interference from the state.
Is it possible to appeal the results?
The current legal framework provides for the possibility of appealing the results. In particular, this right is guaranteed by the Constitution of Ukraine and can be exercised through the judicial system.
What are your expectations of the new Board?
In the face of today's challenges, the Council will act as an additional mechanism for monitoring the transparency and integrity of processes in the management system of the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Over the next two years, the Council members will work on analysing and assessing corruption risks in various areas of the Ministry of Defence and developing appropriate anti-corruption measures. Their activities will be aimed at enhancing transparency in the defence sector and improving the efficiency of resource use.
The Council will start its work after the official approval of its composition by the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.
What's next?
Shortly after the official announcement of the results and approval of the Council's composition, its first meeting will begin, where the members of the Anti-Corruption Council will be elected from among their number by a simple majority of votes:
- Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Council;
- Deputy Head of the Anti-Corruption Council;
- Secretary of the Anti-Corruption Council.
The Chairman, his deputy, secretary and other members of the Anti-Corruption Council participate in its work on a voluntary basis. The members of the Council do not have certificates or other special documents certifying their membership in the Anti-Corruption Council.
The members of the Anti-Corruption Council shall exercise their powers personally and shall not have the right to delegate their powers to participate in the meetings of the Anti-Corruption Council and the right to vote at them to other persons, including other members of the Anti-Corruption Council. In case a member of the Council cannot participate in the meeting, he/she has the right to express his/her position in writing (electronic document), which is announced by the Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Council at the meeting before the vote.
