Зміст публікації
As of February 9, 2026
In this brief, the team of the Anti-Corruption Center “MEZHA” presents key findings from monitoring the Competition for the position of Head of the State Customs Service as of February 2026 – during the period when the selection process is approaching its decisive stage, namely, the special vetting of candidates and the determination of the list of those eligible for the final interviews to select the two winners.
Our team, using its own methodology, assessed the integrity of each of the 16 candidates who reached the final stage and identified serious integrity concerns regarding 12 of them – information on these candidates is included in this brief.
1) The Competition Commission sets new trends in transparency. Unlike other similar competitions, for the first time, a public discussion of the draft rules and regulations of the competition was conducted. All interested stakeholders were able to submit their proposals and comments on the draft, and the Commission provided reasoning in an open session regarding the acceptance or rejection of these proposals. This is important because key procedural aspects of the competition are not regulated by law and are directly determined by the decisions of the Competition Commission.
Furthermore, the Competition Commission proactively engaged with the public. Thus, from the start of the competition in August 2025 until the completion of the first part of the selection process, the Commission demonstrated not only transparent and open work but also introduced new practices for involving the public in the competition process.
2) From February 2026, the competition enters its decisive stage, during which there may be increased pressure on the Commission and potential political interference. Following the testing on knowledge of legislation conducted on February 9, 2026, 16 candidates remain in the competition. The competition procedure stipulates that 15 candidates will be admitted to the final interviews (after the February assessment of two additional practical tasks: professional skills and organizational and leadership abilities). Thus, despite the additional pre-interview tasks, the final list is already 95% formed.
Experience from previous selection procedures indicates that at this stage, the risk of political pressure and attempts to discredit certain candidates increases, in particular through the use of formal procedures and powers of law enforcement agencies. The only effective countermeasure against such unlawful influence is the vigilant attention of civil society to every stage of the competition.
3) Among the 16 candidates, serious integrity concerns were identified for 12. The team of the Anti-Corruption Center “MEZHA,” using its own methodology, analyzed the integrity of all candidates and identified information indicating potential breaches of integrity for 12 individuals (75% of the total number). This brief presents a detailed analysis of the integrity of these candidates, as well as the criteria on which reasoned conclusions regarding their non-compliance with integrity requirements were based.
In March 2026, the candidates will undergo interviews and the two winners of the selection process will be determined. During these interviews, candidates will provide explanations to the members of the Competition Commission regarding circumstances that call their integrity or professionalism into question, including those identified by the Anti-Corruption Center “MEZHA.” Our team will monitor the course of the interviews and analyze candidates’ responses in detail to establish necessary facts and counter any attempts to mislead the Competition Commission.
4) Among the remaining candidates, there are no representatives from the private sector; instead, 12 candidates are currently employed at or have prior experience in the customs service. At the same time, serious integrity concerns exist for 11 of them, reflecting a systemic issue in staffing the customs service.
Full analytics here