Verkhovna Rada Chairman Andriy Parubiy has signed the law on the High Anti-Corruption Court, passed by the parliament on June 7. “I want to take an opportunity to solemnly sign this law in your presence,” he said at a joint press conference with Speakers of the parliaments of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, and Moldova, Andrian Candu, in Kyiv on Saturday. As reported, on June 7, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, approved at second reading and as a whole presidential bill (No. 7440) on the High Anti-Corruption Court.
Some clauses of this bill were changed before second reading as a result of consultations with the IMF. The most controversial clause concerned the decisive role of the public council of international experts in the selection of judges.
The law determines the procedure for holding a competition for the selection of anti-corruption judges.
According to the wording of the bill at the second reading, criminal proceedings against corruption crimes provided for in the commentary of Article 45 (1) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, Article 206 (2), 209, 366 (1) of the Criminal Code will be subjected to the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC).
The law enters into force on the day after its publication, with the exception of certain provisions that come into force with the commencement of the work of the High Anti-Corruption Court.
Consumer prices in Ukraine in May 2018 remained unchanged from the previous month, while inflation was 0.8% in April, 1.1% in March, 0.9% in February and 1.5% in January, the State Statistics Service has said. According to the agency, in annual terms (May2018 to May 2017) the rise of consumer prices slowed down to 11.7% from 13.1% in April, 13.2% in March, 14% in February, and 14.1% in January.
Underlying inflation in May 2018 fell to 0.2% from 0.6% in April and 1.4% in March, in annual terms being 9.3%.
The service said that since the beginning of the year consumer prices in Ukraine have increased by 4.4%, while underlying inflation was 3.5%.
In May compared with April 2018 prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages decreased by 0.7%. Prices for eggs and buckwheat fell most of all (by 9.5% and 7.3%). Prices for vegetables, milk and dairy products, sugar, lard, fruits, rice, sunflower oil fell by 2.9-0.5%. At the same time, prices for fish, pasta, bread, and non-alcoholic beverages rose by 0.8-0.5%.
Prices for alcoholic drinks and tobacco products grew by 1.8%, in particular for tobacco products by 2.4%, alcoholic drinks by 1.0%.
The growth of tariffs for housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels by 0.1% was mainly due to the increase in water supply tariffs by 2.2%, sewerage by 1.8%, and housing maintenance by 1.2%.
The department of municipal ownership of the Kyiv City Administration has sold a nonresidential building located at 8 (A, A2) Heorhiyevsky Lane in the Shevchenkivsky district of Kyiv, at an auction to Global Invest LLC (Kyiv) for UAH 102.541 million (around $4 million).
The department of municipal ownership told in response to the inquiry of Interfax-Ukraine that the building with gross area of 3,800 square meters was placed to the list of facilities being in municipal ownership of the Kyiv community and eligible to privatization.
According to the unified public register, the holder of 99.776% of the charter capital of Global Invest LLC is UDP Asset Management LLC, which acts on its own behalf and on behalf of Misky Quarter fund (as of June 8, 2018, the company also holds 67.3% in the charter capital of Ukrainian Development Partners (UDP) LLC).
The department said that a nonresidential building located at 44A, Khreschatyk Street was sold to Vacus-Investments LLC (Kyiv) for UAH 32.3 million.
Verdis LLC (Kyiv) privatized a building with gross area of 435 square meters located at 1/2A, Baseina Street for UAH 4.3 million.
Kronker Group LLC bought a building with gross areas of 460 square meters located at 3A, Trukhanivska Street for UAH 5.9 million.
Global Invest LLC was founded in 2004. Its core business is construction of residential and nonresidential buildings. The ultimate beneficiary is ex-director general of UDP Valeriy Kodetsky.
President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio has called the adoption by the Ukrainian parliament of the law “On the High Anti-Corruption Court” a testament to Ukraine’s intention to continue the path of reforms and European integration.
“It is with great satisfaction – I would even say with great joy – that I learnt of today’s decision by the Verkhovna Rada to adopt the law on the High Anti-Corruption Court. According to the reports the law as adopted is in line with the recommendations of the Venice Commission,” the Commission chief said in his statement posted on the Commission’s website on Thursday.
The official congratulated the Ukrainian MPs on the vote and thanked all those who contributed to the adoption of the law.
“This is an important step forward for Ukraine and for Europe, most of all for the citizens of Ukraine who have suffered for too long from the evils of corruption. Today’s vote shows that Ukraine is determined to continue on the path of reform and European integration,” said the VC chief.
He also urged all those involved to ensure the rapid formation of the court and to provide it with appropriate means for functioning.
As reported earlier, the Verkhovna Rada passed presidential draft law “On the High Anti-Corruption Court” (No. 7440) at the second reading.
The insurance companies of Ukraine in January-March 2018 collected net premiums in the amount of UAH 8.119 billion, which is 26.7% more than for the same period a year earlier, according to the website of the National Commission for State Regulation of Financial Services Markets. According to the regulator, the volume of gross insurance premiums collected by insurers for the period amounted to UAH 11.619 billion (6.6% more).
The commission notes that an increase in gross insurance premiums occurred for almost all types of insurance: auto insurance (KASKO, OSAGO, Green Card) by UAH 461.2 million, or 20.7%, insurance against fire risks and risks of natural phenomena by UAH 1.046 billion, or 41%, insurance of liability to third parties by UAH 365 million, or 72.2%, credit insurance by UAH 224.8 million, or 3 times, life insurance by UAH 193.8 million, or 30.6%, insurance against accidents by UAH 163.6 million, or 65.9%, medical insurance by UAH 143.8 million, or 18.9%, and medical insurance by UAH 69.9 million, or 40.3%.
The share of net insurance premiums in gross insurance premiums for the first quarter of 2018 rose by 11.1 percentage points from the first quarter of 2017 and amounted to 69.9%.
In January-March of the current year, insurers paid UAH 3.099 billion of net insurance claim fees, which is 37.2% more than in the same period a year earlier. The level of net payments grew from 35.3% to 38.2%.
The share of counterfeit crop protection agents on the Ukrainian market is from 20% to 30%, Deputy Head of the biosecurity department and Head of the crop protection department of the State Service for Food Safety and Consumers’ Protection of Ukraine Viktor Stefkivsky has said. The expert said that the figure reaches 50% in retail. Director of the biosecurity and seed supervision department of the authority Andriy Chelombitko also pointed out growth in the volumes of low-quality and counterfeit crop protection agents, which is provoked by the current moratorium on inspections of legal entities.
“During the period when the moratorium is in effect, a lot of unfair “traders” took advantage of the situation and began mass distribution of counterfeit pesticides and agrochemicals for agricultural use, including through the retail network. This not only affects Ukraine’s reputation as a reliable partner in the turnover of high-quality vegetable products, but also causes irreparable harm to the environment and human health,” Chelombitko said.
As the experts said, the demand of Ukrainian agricultural producers in agrochemicals is about 100,000 tonnes per year and it is equivalent to the amount of about $2 billion, which is “extremely attractive for counterfeits.”
