Ukraine Parliament Passes Anticorruption Legislation

Ukrainian lawmakers have approved an anticorruption bill establishing public oversight over the assets of both senior and lower-level officials and their relatives.

Under the legislation adopted on March 15, they now have to file electronic declarations of their income and holdings, and face criminal liability for any inaccurate or falsified information.

The data will be open online to anyone's scrutiny.

The European Union has been pressing Ukraine to complete anticorruption reforms, and Kyiv hopes the move will pave the way for visa-free travel to EU countries this year.

Ukraine's visa-free bid has been a top goal of the Ukrainian government, which has had to tackle an economic and financial crisis and a conflict with Russian-backed separatists in the country's east.

Based on reporting by AFP and UNIAN