European Commission on Operation ’Forrest Gump’: Fight against corruption is important for those wishing to join EU
The European Commission has emphasised the need to protect independent anti-corruption bodies in Ukraine against the backdrop of the ‘Forrest Gump’ special operation carried out by NABU and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
This was announced by a European Commission spokesperson, as reported by Censor.NET, citing European Pravda.
What is known?
Commenting on Operation ‘Forrest Gump’, he noted that the fight against corruption must be a central element for a country seeking to become an EU member.
"We are aware of the latest developments. As you know, we do not comment on individual cases. Let us be clear: the EU maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption. ... We would like to remind you that the fight against corruption is a central element for any country seeking to join the European Union," said the spokesperson.
According to the European Commission representative, this process "requires sustained efforts to ensure a strong capacity to combat corruption and money laundering through effective prevention, investigation and prosecution, as well as to ensure respect for the rule of law".
"The role of independent anti-corruption bodies, which are cornerstones of the rule of law in Ukraine as a future Member State, must be safeguarded," the European Commission concluded.
Operation "Forrest Gump"
- It was previously reported that the NABU and the SAPO are conducting a special operation to expose a criminal group involving MPs and senior officials from the Office of the President.
- According to media reports, as part of the announced special operation, NABU and the SAPO are carrying out searches at the home of Iryna Mudra, deputy head of the Office of the President.
- In addition, NABU detectives carried out searches at the home of Hladyshenko, chairman of the supervisory board of "Sense Bank".
- Vadym Stolar, a Member of Parliament from the ‘Opposition Platform – For Life’ party, which has been banned by the court, confirmed that NABU and the SAPO are conducting searches at his premises as part of the ‘Forrest Gump’ special operation.
- NABU later stated that the case involved 150 million hryvnias in cash which, according to the investigation, had been channelled into the legal system via a series of accounts held by front companies to pay bail for one of the defendants in the ‘Midas’ case.
- Subsequently, the former deputy head of the Presidential Office, Iryna Mudra, confirmed that her premises were searched on 19 August; she was informed of the charges against her and served with a request for a preventive measure, but was not detained. She is preparing for the court hearing.
- On 20 August, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) released new recordings of conversations involving those implicated in the ‘Forrest Gump’ case — the second part of the investigation entitled ‘Themis’. This concerns a scheme involving the hostile takeover of property and other assets through unauthorised interference with the Ministry of Justice’s information (automated) networks.
- On 20 August, a prosecutor from the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) named all the individuals implicated in NABU’s ‘Forrest Gump’ and ‘Themis’ operations.
- On 21 August, the High Anti-Corruption Court imposed a preventive measure on former MP Maksym Mykytas in the form of detention, subject to the payment of 30 million hryvnias in bail.
- On 25 August, Iryna Mudra was remanded in custody with the option of posting bail of 20 million hryvnias.
