A former Ukrainian prosecutor from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office has publicly attacked European Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos and called on her to first remember the so-called “integrity” of her brother Drago Kos before lecturing Ukraine about the fight against corruption. There are allegedly even recordings of his trading and deal-making, a Ukrainian media report claims.
According to his statements, Drago Kos – the Slovenian anti-corruption expert and brother of Commissioner Marta Kos – participated as a member of an international independent commission in 2023 in backroom negotiations for the appointment of Semen Kryvonos as director of Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU).
“While demanding reforms in Ukraine, Mrs. Marta Kos should remember the integrity of her brother Drago, who has shown examples of high morality and ethical behaviour characteristic of many European representatives in Ukraine. His participation in backroom agreements with representatives of Ukrainian authorities and through the mediation of NABU Deputy Director Polina Lisenko is particularly noteworthy. Through these, an agreement was reached on the candidacy of one of the leaders whom Drago fairly and democratically selected as part of the independent commission,” wrote Stanislav Bronyavitsky, as reported by the Ukrainian National Newspaper.
Behind the deal-for-business arrangement – will we witness the recordings?
According to him, it was a classic quid pro quo: “You provide us with a deal and profit for a European company (which produces armoured film), and we will provide you with a candidate that we will all accept.” The conversations reportedly took place in one of Kyiv’s restaurants. The prosecutor added that it would not be surprising if the existing video and audio recordings of these talks soon “come to light.”
The commission in which Drago Kos served selected three finalists (Kryvonos, Serhiy Hupiak and Roman Osypchuk). The Ukrainian government appointed Kryvonos as NABU director on 6 March 2023.
Drago Kos later expressed disappointment over his own choice of NABU director and the head of the specialized prosecutor’s office, claiming they had “chosen the best candidates,” yet “even these best candidates started behaving very strangely and tried to remain ‘friends’ with civil society.” He added that if the head of an anti-corruption body is not on good terms with anti-corruption organisations and civil society, his life becomes hell. That is why, according to him, some leaders try to adapt and please these organisations.
C. Š.
