Lawyer Oleg Shram highlighted significant discrepancies in the European Commission’s reports for 2025 and 2026 regarding the results of the fight against high-level corruption in Ukraine. In particular, the number of convictions for 2023 in the more recent document has changed from 44 to 12, and the number of notices of suspicion from 257 to 35. A comparison of the European Commission’s official reports confirms the existence of these discrepancies; however, this in itself does not prove that the statistics have been manipulated.
- Lawyer Oleg Shram has identified discrepancies in the statistics on anti-corruption cases in the European Commission’s reports for 2025 and 2026.
- The number of final convictions in 2023 fell from 44 to 12, whilst the number of notices of suspicion fell from 257 to 35.
- For 2024, the number of indictments recorded in the documents differs: 113 compared with 243.
- Both charts draw on data from the European statistical platform OCCTR.
- The reasons for revising historical figures require an official explanation.
What discrepancies were found in the European Commission’s reports?
Scar compared Figure 7.1 in the two annual reports European Commission, focusing on Ukraine’s progress towards membership of the European Union.
The report for 2025 was published on 4 November 2025, and the report for 2026 on 4 November 2026. Both contain statistics on anti-corruption proceedings, including the number of notices of suspicion, indictments, final court rulings and convictions.
A comparison of the primary sources reveals the following differences:
| Indicator. | EC Report 2025 | EC Report 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| For 2023 | ||
| Notification of suspicion | 257 | 35 |
| Indictments | 100 | 30 |
| Final court judgements | 65 | 18 |
| Final convictions | 44 | 12 |
| For the year 2024 | ||
| Notification of suspicion | 231 | 231 |
| Indictments | 113 | 243 |
| Final court judgements | 77 | 71 |
| Final convictions | 49 | 69 |
Data from Figures 7.1 of the European Commission’s reports for 2025 and 2026, pages 36 and 37 respectively.
The largest relative decrease was recorded in the number of notices of suspicion for 2023 — by approximately 86 per cent. The number of final convictions for the same year fell by 73 per cent.
At the same time, the number of indictments for 2024 was found to be more than double in the new report.
Why has the assessment of the anti-corruption bodies’ performance changed?
Discrepancies in reports have a significant impact on the statistical picture of law enforcement agencies’ work.
Looking at the figures for 2025, the number of people served with a notice of suspicion in 2024 fell by approximately 10 per cent compared with 2023 — from 257 to 231.
According to the 2026 report, however, the figure actually shows an increase of 560 per cent — from 35 to 231.
However, both documents cite the same source beneath the charts: national data collected via the European electronic platform OCCTR for recording the results of the fight against organised crime and corruption.
An important clarification: the title of the chart in the original documents indicates that it refers to the number of individuals and legal entities covered by the relevant procedural indicators. Therefore, the figures 44 and 12 cannot automatically be interpreted as the number of individual court judgements, nor can 100 and 30 be interpreted as the number of procedural documents. These are indicators relating to the number of individuals, not necessarily to the number of proceedings.
What Oleg Shram said and how the European Commission assesses NABU and SAPO
Lawyer Oleg Shram has cast doubt on the reliability of the statistical basis used by the European Commission to assess the performance of Ukraine’s anti-corruption system. In his view, such significant discrepancies require an explanation from the institutions that collect, verify and publish this information.
At the same time, in its 2026 report, the European Commission gave a positive assessment of the results of the fight against high-level corruption. The document states that NABU and SAPO Investigations into high-profile cases involving senior officials continued, and the number of convictions handed down by the High Anti-Corruption Court increased significantly.
At the same time, Brussels noted that anti-corruption bodies remain vulnerable to pressure, legal proceedings take far too long, and legislative reforms are not progressing quickly enough.
Who should explain the discrepancies in the statistics?
The very fact that there is a discrepancy in the figures is confirmed by official documents. However, it is not possible to determine from the published charts whether this discrepancy arose due to a change in the accounting methodology, the revision of historical data, differences in the scope of cases covered, or errors made during the preparation of the reports.
To establish the reasons behind this, clarification is required from the European Commission and the institutions that submitted national statistical data to the OCCTR platform. In particular, it is necessary to clarify the methodology used for each year and the reasons for revising previously published figures.
As at 8 November 2026, the discrepancies between the two reports have been confirmed, but there is no official explanation for their origin in the verified materials. The allegations of possible manipulation remain the lawyer’s assessment rather than an established fact.
