Ukrainian parliamentarians voted today to restore the “pothen esches” rule for public office holders, a measure demanded of Kiev by the International Monetary Fund, but the law includes a loophole that critics say will limit its effect. .

Mandatory declaration of assets was introduced in 2016. But after Russia’s invasion last year, these declarations became optional and are not made public because they were considered a potential security risk. The IMF, however, demanded that this measure be reinstated in order to pay Kiev the installment of the aid package amounting to 15.6 billion dollars.

Fighting corruption is also a prerequisite for Ukraine’s EU membership, and President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government has made it a priority alongside the war.

Parliament has approved a version of the law requiring officials to declare their assets, said lawmaker Jaroslav Zelezniak, but those declarations will remain sealed for a year.

Anti-corruption campaigners have said that if the files are not made public, then the original purpose of the “pothen esshes” declarations, a reform introduced after the 2014 Maidan revolution to promote transparency, is defeated.

“The hidden assets of MPs and officials will destroy the confidence of Ukrainians. “Honest officials have nothing to hide,” commented the Center for Action Against Corruption, a leading non-governmental organization. “The desire to hide one’s wealth from the people only indicates that one wishes to steal public funds,” he added.

The head of the president’s own party, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, called the bill, which will now be sent to the presidency for approval, an “incredible disappointment,” with many calling on Zelensky to veto it.

Before early 2022 public officials – from councilors to the president himself – had to submit annual declarations on their assets, income, real estate and cars. The National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption studies the declarations of sources and may initiate legal proceedings if a case of illicit enrichment is suspected.

Ukrainian journalists often report, even now in wartime, cases of MPs and other officials living in luxurious houses and driving expensive cars.

A poll conducted in June on behalf of Transparency International showed that almost eight in ten Ukrainians (77%) believe that corruption is one of Ukraine’s most serious problems.