This briefing focuses on tackling corruption and increasing the effectiveness of the medical supply system of the Ukrainian military. It aims to analyse corruption risks within medical procurement, and to provide recommendations for how to strengthen the system against these risks. This briefing note is based on an analysis of three cases, together with interviews with the employees of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), volunteers and international experts.
“The Fifth Column”, found that states most affected by corruption are very often victims of deep conflict. Seven of the ten lowest-scoring countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index were also amongst the ten least peaceful countries in the most recent Global Peace Index.
Corruption and insecurity reinforce one another in conflict environments. Conflict often weakens state institutions and shifts the balance of expectations and incentives, entrenching corruption, undermining the development of state capacity, and encouraging cycles of impunity that leave whole populations angry and disenfranchised. This can be particularly pernicious when it affects defence and security institutions, turning them from protectors into predators that endanger human security, slow down development, and can perpetuate conflict.
The report identifies improvements in how assistance is monitored, but calls for improved regulation and oversight of security assistance, and greater transparency of key strategic planning documents like the State Defense Order and defence budget. The report also called on donor countries to use international aid as a leverage to push for systemic anti-corruption reform in the Ukrainian defense sector.
Weaponising Transparency has found that unpublished defence budgets and arms procurements are still open to abuse by corrupt officials seeking to benefit from the conflict with Boko Haram and launder stolen money abroad. Many deaths in the conflict have occurred while the military lacks vital equipment, critical training, and morale.
"The Big Spin" finds that organisations including ISIS take advantage of corruption in their efforts to recruit and retain disillusioned members, even as they use corrupt practices to channel funds and smuggle arms, drugs, and people. Corruption also can dramatically weaken state institutions, rendering them ineffective in the face of the threat from extremist groups.
The following publication contains the Terms of Reference for The Independent Defence Anti-Corruption Committee / Nezalezhny Antikorrupciynii Komitet z pytan oborony (NAKO)
NAKO's committee is comprised of six members, three national – Sevgil Musaeva, Volodymyr Ogryzko, Oleh Rybachuk (co-chair) – and three international experts – Lt Gen Tim Evans, Drago Kos (co-chair), and James Wasserstrom.
The following publication is the mandate for the Independent Defence Anti-Corruption Committee (Nezalezhny Antikorrupciynii Komitet z pytan oborony) NAKO. The mandate is as follows: 1) Monitoring & evaluation 2) Developing anti-corruption recommendations 3) Providing open, regular analysis and reporting 4) Promoting transparency 5) Contributing to policy 6) Strenghtening international and national accountability structures 7) Enabling […]
This evaluation is based on a review of 8 indicators in Transparency International’s (TI) unique dataset, the Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index, analysing procurement control mechanisms, policies and procedures from 20 European government defence ministries collected during 2014 and 2015. The paper identifies positive and negative practices across countries, as well as the overarching trends analysed […]
Agents have played a key role in defence procurement for decades and many cases of procurement corruption have involved agents. They are widely recognised as one of the highest risk factors for corruption across the sector but, despite recent changes to the regulatory environment, the risks are as difficult to manage as ever.