Arm sales - corruption in Bulgaria
Arms sales are such expensive procurements that there is the constant problem of corruption and it’s good to see that there has been cross border cooperation between Bulgaria and Ukraine in this area. Ukrainska Pravda reported on a joint investigation which is targeting arms sales, and as of this week “the Supreme Prosecution Office of Cassation said that at Kyiv’s request, it was supervising searches and seizures of property in the homes and offices of arms dealers across Bulgaria in connection with an investigation into corruption in Ukraine related to the sale of weapons at inflated prices.” As Bulgaria is an EU member this also is important in Ukraine’s ongoing ability to work with EU mechanisms in rooting out corruption. And, this is important, as defense procurement has been a problem, and it is important to see that Ukraine’s investigative abilities can go beyond their borders.
Why is this so important at this time? This work should inspire confidence as so many arms sales transactions are usually hidden behind national security claims, which provides the basis for keeping such transactions opaque. What a case such as this, with governments cooperating, provides us with evidence that arms sales, which are so important to Ukraine, are being very closely scrutinized and made as transparent as can be hoped for. Additionally, the cooperation between EU countries and Ukraine is also positive, providing additional evidence of moving towards EU standards. Of course, we should not become comfortable with these types of positive cases, we should continue the robust monitoring by CSOs and donors. But this is a very good sign, keeping the pressure on all groups to ensure more transparent actions on the part of Ukraine and their supporters.
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