KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine has chosen an experienced investigator to head the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office, pending approval by the country’s prosecutor general, parliament said on Tuesday.
It said in a statement that Oleksandr Klymenko had been selected by a special competition commission in a process that lasted several months. Klymenko previously worked for the national anti-corruption bureau, another state body fighting corruption.
Progress in fighting corruption, including the appointment of an anti-corruption prosecutor, is one of Kyiv’s long-term commitments to its Western partners. The former head of the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office quit nearly two years ago.
Kyiv’s need of financial, political and military support has increased sharply since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.
“There is only one step left before his appointment. This decision must be signed by the Prosecutor General,” the statement said.
It is unclear how quickly Ukraine will be able to complete the process because President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has suspended Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova from her duties.
(Reporting by Natalia Zinets, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
