(25 Jul 2016) Ukraine's anti-corruption fight is making slow progress despite the efforts of Mikhail Saakashvili, the former Georgian President, who has brought his corruption-fighting record to his job as governor of the Odessa region.
Saakashvili's stifled efforts in Odessa show the systemic problems still facing the country, two years after it broke with Moscow and aligned itself firmly with the West.
In Georgia, Saakashvili’s main achievements as president from 2004 to 2013 included a significant reduction in corruption and a crackdown on organized crime. He completely reformed the police force, ending its long-held tradition of taking bribes.
To spearhead the fight against corruption, Saakashvili set out to reform the police force and the customs service in Odessa.
Associated Press journalists unexpectedly were witness to a special operation to detain two police officers accused of taking bribes. A chase involving patrol cars with flashing lights and a shootout in the centre of Odessa ended with the suspected police officers in handcuffs.
Saakashvili has also fired the heads of 24 of the 27 districts in the Odessa region, but critics say it has had little impact on corruption.
The former Georgian leader blames the lack of progress on the preservation of the old system of backroom deals and the pervasive power of politically-connected businessmen.
He recently set up the tent along the potholed road that leads to EU member Romania to express his frustration at the obstacles he's faced in cleaning up this notoriously corrupt region and helping Ukraine move closer to the 28-nation bloc.
He did this to demand that the government come through with promised money to repair the strategically important highway.
Saakashvili passionately described plans for European-style reforms, including restructuring the police force and customs service, which he said would determine the future not only of Ukraine but of the entire post-Soviet region.
He was appointed Odessa governor in 2015, a year after President Petro Poroshenko came to power following mass protests against corruption and demands for closer ties with the West.
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