Ukrainian Anti-corruption Committee flags concerns in draft mobilization law, citing corruption risks
Ukraine’s parliamentary Anti-corruption Policy Committee has identified several problematic provisions in a new bill on conscription that could give rise to corruption risks, MP Anastasia Radina, the head of the committee, said on Facebook on Jan. 8.
To mitigate these risks, she outlined the following areas that need improvement:
1. Reject the imposition of the obligation on local governments to "ensure the arrival" of military personnel at the military registration and enlistment office. While local governments can provide transportation, they should not have the authority to use force. The vague obligation to ensure arrival, without specifying the means, may result in "arbitrariness," according to Radina.
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2. Clearly define the time frames and conditions under which recruitment centers can initiate the inclusion of military personnel in the register of debtors, leading to subsequent restrictions on property disposal, etc. The heads of centers should not have the ability to add someone to the register immediately after a missed appearance, as valid reasons may exist. Restrictions on rights should only apply after the person has faced legal consequences for violating the obligation to appear.
3. Eliminate the discretion of district and city commissions, as well as higher-level commissions, to grant citizens deferrals from referral for basic military service. Radina emphasized the need to distinguish this type of service from mobilization.
Radina also highlighted the need to enhance anti-corruption measures in medical examinations and medical-social expert commissions, as well as improve procedures for verifying circumstances warranting exemption from mobilization.
"The committee's decision DOES NOT indicate opposition to improving the mobilization procedure,” the MP said.
Read also: Parliament begins review of new conscription law with top military leadership in attendance
“On the contrary, mobilization must be fair, predictable, and free from corruption loopholes."
The Cabinet of Ministers submitted bill No. 10378 to the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, on Dec. 25, addressing issues of conscription, military registration, and service.
The bill suggests, among other things, changing the conscription age from 27 to 25 years, abolishing conscription, allowing sending call-up notices to local military recruitment offices electronically, and more.
Human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets has criticized those proposals, stating that certain provisions restrict the rights of Ukrainians and contradict the Constitution.
The Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security began to work on the bill on Jan. 4. The first meeting was attended by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Chief of the General Staff Serhiy Shaptala, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Social Policy unanimously adopted a decision on Jan. 8 to recommend the Defense Committee to improve the government's bill on mobilization.
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