Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Action Center has sharply criticized a new law on judges’ integrity declarations, saying parliament failed to use a key opportunity to strengthen the oversight of the judiciary amid recent high-profile corruption cases, including ones involving Supreme Court judges. In a statement on X, the organization said that Bill No. 13165-2, presented as an improvement to integrity declarations, barely adds any additional checking on judges – while at the same time increasing salaries and pensions for already highly paid judges instead of directing the money to the military and court staff.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Deputies had a chance to introduce an effective tool for vetting judges, including those of the Supreme Court, but they squandered it,” the Anti-Corruption Action Center said. In particular, the Center pointed to the removal of the key property section from the integrity declaration, which had previously required judges to confirm that their lifestyle matches their official income. The change, it said, weakens the ability to detect unjustified wealth. The statement also explains that liability for false information now arises only when it is proven that a judge intentionally submitted incorrect data – allowing judges to defend themselves by claiming they “forgot” to provide information or “misunderstood” certain details.