The anti corruption campaign in the Ukraine is making further progress

Good news! 

"Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s former chief of staff and widely regarded as one of Ukraine’s political kingpins before his resignation last year, was named a suspect in a major corruption probe involving alleged money laundering tied to a luxury housing project. The probe is a continuation of last year’s “Operation Midas,” with anti-graft agencies now saying six more suspects have been named – though they added that Zelensky was not, and has never been, a subject of the investigation."

Former Presidential Office Head Notified of Suspicion in Major Laundering Case "Ukraine’s anti‑corruption authorities say former Head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, has been notified of suspicion in a case involving Hr.460 million ($10.4 million) in alleged money laundering. The investigation centers on high‑end real estate development near Kyiv and remains in its early stages. Officials say further details will emerge as the probe continues."

Ukraine Names 6 More Suspects in Yermak-Linked $10M Luxury Property Laundering Case "Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies have named six more suspects in an expanding probe into alleged money laundering through elite Kyiv-area real estate. Former top officials, including Andriy Yermak, are under suspicion. Investigators say about $10 million was laundered via luxury construction schemes tied to wider corruption cases in the energy sector."

Hit kleptocrats where it hurts most - take their loot away

Very recommendable! This article contains some serious food for thought! There are still too many lousy dictators (kleptocrats) running too many countries on this earth!

"... Seize back the ill-gotten profits they’ve looted.

Autocrats respect hard power and cold cash. In the kleptocrat world, that translates as power at home and cash secreted abroad.

Using government to steal from the people and the state—and ever fearful of the future—autocrats and their buddies loot, and then stash the loot beyond the reach of the state they’re robbing.

Putin runs a ‘rogue mafia state’, turning Russia into ‘a gas station with nukes,’ observes the former Russian chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov. 
The big gambit available to the West, Kasparov writes, is to confiscate the cash the rogues stash: ‘Kick Putin’s mafia state out of the international institutions it uses and abuses to spread corruption. Seize the hundreds of billions in assets he and his cronies hide in the West and kick out the oligarchs and their families.’ ...
European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Josep Borrell, when he announced EU sanctions on Russia and then tweeted, ‘No more shopping in Milan, partying in Saint-Tropez, diamonds in Antwerp.’ He quickly deleted the vivid tweet ...

Going after the cash is complicated and grand corruption skips by a lot of laws.  The 189 countries that are party to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption each have laws criminalising corrupt conduct. Yet kleptocrats enjoy impunity because they control the ‘justice’ in the countries they rule.

The war launched by Putin’s dark mind calls for sanctions, containment and new ways to punish and push back. One answer is to create an international anti-corruption court (IACC).

An IACC would be a court of last resort, holding kleptocrats accountable (and grabbing their accounts). The court would recover, repatriate or repurpose stolen assets, punishing corrupt officials but also professional enablers (step forward, lawyers, bankers, accountants and real estate agents).

The IACC could be established by a small number of founding member states, so long as they include several major financial hubs where lots of cash gets stashed (step forward, the UK, Europe and the US).

The existing International Criminal Court doesn’t cover crimes of corruption and amending its statute would require a two-thirds vote by its 123 member states. ...

A campaign for the IACC launched last year when leading citizens from 45 countries (Nobel laureates, former heads of state and government, high court judges, former cabinet ministers, business leaders) signed a declaration of support.

The multilateral model for the fight against grand corruption is the successful international campaign to ban landmines. ...

At this early stage, Canada and the Netherlands are the countries stepping up to the diplomatic challenge of establishing the court by treaty. ..."

Kick kleptocrats in the wallet | The Strategist