The Role of Community in Fighting Corruption in Ukraine
All countries suffer from corruption to a greater or a smaller degree. An effective combination of measures aimed at preventing and fighting corruption guarantees success in counteracting this destructive, harmful phenomenon. The role of community in fighting corruption is growing at the current stage of the development of the state and the society. Thus, the right of the public to take measures to counteract corruption is embedded at both the international (the UNO Convention against Corruption) and the national (the Constitution of Ukraine, the laws of Ukraine «On Corruption Prevention», «On Petitions of Citizens», «On Access to Public Information», etc.) levels. This right can be exercised in three forms. The first is the participation of individual citizens who have attained majority in fighting corruption. The second form is the participation of public organizations. Thus, there are about 200 anti-corruption NGOs currently active in the country. The third form is the activity of mass media, for example, spreading information on the anti-corruption investigations. There are also two groups of methods that the public can use to exercise its right to counteract corruption: information-consulting and dynamic (active). The first group includes: the possibility to request and obtain information, in the amount and according to the procedure not prohibited by law, on the activities of preventing and fighting corruption from the bodies of state and local governance; the possibility to take part in parliamentary hearings; the possibility to report the revealed facts of corruption or corruption-related violations, of real or potential conflict of interests to specially authorized subjects in the sphere of counteracting corruption, to National Agency of Corruption Prevention, to the management or other representatives of the body, company, institution or organization where these violations happened or whose employees have a conflict of interests; the possibility to introduce initiatives to the subjects of the legislative initiative on improving the legislative regulation of relations emerging in the sphere of preventing corruption, and on taking measures aimed at informing the public on preventing corruption. The group of dynamic methods includes the possibility to initiate and conduct a public anti-corruption expertise, as well as scientific and sociological research on the problems of preventing corruption, and also the possibility to have public anti-corruption control. Besides, the legislation provides for a possibility to implement other anti-corruption measures that are not prohibited by law. One of the key methods of counteracting corruption is the anti-corruption training of the potential subjects of corruption offences. The authors conclude that the public is a key full-fledged subject of fighting corruption in Ukraine.