State/INL Ukraine Program

Funding FY 2006-2010

• FY 2006 - $3,069,000 (FSA)* + $150,000 (INCLE)** = $3,219,000
• FY 2007 - $5,524,316 (FSA) + $125,000 (INCLE) = $5,649,316
• FY 2008 - $5,304,000 (FSA) + $150,000 ( INCLE) + $2,367,630 (Sec. 1004)*** = $7,821,630
• FY 2009 - $5,905,209 (AEECA)****
• FY2010 - $6,200,000 (AEECA)
• FY2011 - $5,865,000 (AEECA)

*FSA: Freedom Support Act; INCLE: **International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement Funds; ***National Defense Authorization Act, 1992, as amended; ****AEECA: Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia Funds

Program Goals:

• To bring Ukraine’s justice system into compliance with Council of Europe standards via new legislation.
• To reform Ukrainian law-enforcement bodies along European Union (EU) lines.
• To establish and strengthen anti-corruption institutions at national and agency levels.

Program Components/Accomplishments:

• Justice Sector: An Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL)-funded U.S. Justice Department Resident Legal Advisor (RLA) is supporting the adoption of a reformed criminal procedure code, working toward enactment of important criminal justice legislation (e.g., on money-laundering, asset forfeiture, and witness protection), assisting with procuracy skills development and institutional reform, and enhancing Ukraine’s capacity to prosecute money-laundering and human trafficking. INL has also supported reform of pre-trial detention practices, development of a nation-wide Bar Association, and continuing education for lawyers. Although these efforts have made headway, more remains to be done to assure a system that is more effective at combating crime, properly protective of human rights, and fully compliant with international and European standards.
• Law Enforcement: Through a variety of implementing agencies, INL works with the Government of Ukraine to reform a number of institutions.
  • State Border Guard Service (SBGS) – To meet the SBGS goal of compliance with EU and Schengen standards by 2015, INL is helping the Border Guards adopt a modern recruitment process, personnel structure, and training system; and introduce new information-technology (IT) capabilities. The SBGS has already evolved from a Soviet-era para-military force into a modern, all-professional law-enforcement entity respected throughout the region.
  • State Customs Service of Ukraine – A Defense Department-funded project offers equipment and training at three entry points vulnerable to the movement of heroin from Afghanistan; another targets risk-analysis development.
  • State Penitentiary Service – INL is conducting a two-oblast pilot project that will serve as the basis for a nation-wide electronic prisoner registration system. The system will allow for automatic statistical reports and storage of expanded prisoner data. The result should enhance security, alleviate over-crowding, and contribute to better treatment of prisoners overall.
  • Criminal Courts - INL projects include creating an EU-compliant bar association and strengthening defense lawyers through sustainable professional training as well as introducing a technical system for protecting witness identity -- of particular benefit in trafficking-in-persons (TIP) cases.
  • Ministry of Interior (MOI) – INL projects include achieving International Organization for Standardization accreditation for the State Forensics Center; developing an EU-standard IT network system; strengthening TIP investigative capabilities; supporting MOI cybercrime units; and assisting the Organized Crime Directorate to connect its criminal-analysis database to analysts in the field while upgrading the Directorate’s ability to combat organized crime through intelligence-led investigations..
• Anti-corruption: INL has assisted Ukraine with the drafting of legislation to create a national, Council of Europe-compliant Bureau of Anti-Corruption Investigations; and with developing a manual for the National Academy of Prosecutors on how to prosecute corruption cases. In addition, a U.S. Department of Justice Resident Legal Advisor for Anti-corruption has assisted with national anti-corruption legislation and will help refine laws passed this year. Goals include fostering probity in government by addressing conflicts of interest and requiring financial disclosures from civil servants.