President of the Supreme Court Stanislav Kravchenko participates in discussion on implementing the standards of the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions into national law enforcement

Despite the full-scale Russian armed aggression and the need for yet another year to defend its own independence and territorial integrity, Ukraine is consciously maintaining its European integration course. Our state has not only declared its European integration aspirations but is actively implementing the relevant standards in practice. In the context of reforms related to Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, the fight against corruption remains a key issue.

This was emphasized by Stanislav Kravchenko, President of the Supreme Court, during the discussion on the topic “Implementation of OECD Convention Standards: The Final Stage of Ukraine’s Full Accession”. The discussion focused on coordinating joint efforts to achieve full membership of Ukraine in the OECD Working Group on Bribery and presented Draft Law No. 15056 “On Amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine, the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, and the Law of Ukraine ‘On Prevention of Corruption’ in connection with Ukraine’s accession to the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions”. It should be recalled that in December 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine signed an Agreement with the OECD regarding Ukraine’s accession to the OECD Working Group on Bribery as an associate member, as well as to the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions. This decision marked an important step on Ukraine’s path toward OECD membership and the integration of leading international anti-corruption standards.

As Stanislav Kravchenko noted, Ukraine has already made significant progress in implementing OECD standards into national law enforcement. On 10 March 2026, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law of Ukraine “On Ukraine’s Accession to the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions”.

The next step was the development of Draft Law No. 15056. For the Supreme Court, the fight against corruption is also a priority. Therefore, the Supreme Court carefully analyzed this draft law and, within its competence, provided proposals and comments on the proposed legislative initiatives. In general, Stanislav Kravchenko stated that the Supreme Court supports this draft law and the mechanisms it provides for harmonizing the norms of current national legislation with the provisions of the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, which will ensure its proper future implementation.

At the same time, the SC President added that Ukraine is not starting the process of implementing international anti-corruption standards into national legislation from scratch – the country already has certain achievements and groundwork in place. This includes, in particular, the improvement of terminology in the anti-corruption sphere in the Criminal Code of Ukraine; the existence in national legislation of a provision (Article 96-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) that provides for the application of special confiscation, including the confiscation of property of legal entities, for the commission of criminally punishable acts; the adoption of the Law of Ukraine “On Sanctions”; and the possibility of applying the mechanism of civil confiscation of unjustified assets, among others. Therefore, Stanislav Kravchenko is convinced that when implementing international standards, the focus should be on improving the existing provisions in national legislation and practice, and adapting them to the norms of international law.

In conclusion, the President of the Supreme Court assured the participants of the discussion that the national judicial system is ready to take all necessary measures, after the adoption of the law, to align Ukrainian legislation with the provisions of the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions. This will ensure that the legislative changes are implemented in practice as quickly as possible and demonstrate their effectiveness.

Photo courtesy of the event organisers.