Ukraine adopts law strengthening liability for bribing foreign officials
Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada adopted bill No. 15056 on 10 November, strengthening liability for bribing foreign officials and aligning Ukrainian law with the international anti-bribery convention. The bill was approved in the second reading and as a whole by 247 members of parliament.
Key points
- Verkhovna Rada adopted bill No. 15056 on 10 November in the second reading and as a whole
- 247 members of parliament voted for the bill
- The bill was submitted by President Володимир Зеленський in March 2026
- The law introduces criminal liability for bribing foreign officials and members of international parliamentary assemblies
- The bill amends Ukraine’s Criminal Code, Criminal Procedure Code and anti-corruption law
- The bill passed its first reading on 26 May
- The OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions invited Ukraine to join the convention on 23 October 2025
Why it matters
The law strengthens criminal accountability for bribing foreign officials and aligns Ukrainian criminal, criminal-procedure and anti-corruption rules with an international convention. It also supports closer cooperation in corruption investigations and forms part of Ukraine’s stated path toward OECD membership and European Union accession negotiations.
What happened
On 10 November, the Verkhovna Rada adopted bill No. 15056 in the second reading and as a whole. The bill, submitted by President Володимир Зеленський in March 2026 and passed in first reading on 26 May, was supported by 247 members of parliament. It establishes criminal liability for bribing foreign officials or members of international parliamentary assemblies, defines a “foreign public official” according to the convention’s terminology and requires authorised representatives of legal entities to take anti-corruption measures. The amendments affect the Criminal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code and the law “On Preventing Corruption.”
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian officials and media present the law as a domestic strengthening of anti-corruption rules and accountability, while also connecting it to OECD membership, EU accession negotiations and alignment with European standards. They emphasise its potential to build partner trust, fulfil international commitments and expand cooperation in corruption investigations.
Where reporting differs
Most reports place the final adoption on 10 November without specifying the year, while one report explicitly identifies it as 10 November 2026.
Background
Ukraine’s government applied for OECD membership in 2022. The OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions invited Ukraine to join the Convention on 23 October 2025. President Володимир Зеленський submitted bill No. 15056 to parliament in March 2026, and it passed its first reading on 26 May.