The Verkhovna Rada on Thursday adopted bill No. 3087-d on the Bureau of Economic Security – a new central executive body, which activities are coordinated by the Cabinet of Ministers and which is tasked with counteracting economic offenses.
An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent has reported that the document was supported by 242 MPs with the required minimum of 226 votes.
In particular, 201 MPs of the ruling Servant of the People faction, 17 MPs of the Dovira group and 16 MPs of the opposition Holos faction cast their votes for the bill.
“It was a very difficult one and a half years of work. It was a very complicated bill… Thanks to those who interfered. With you, the reform has become more difficult, but richer. Although, of course, the most important thing in the creation of the Bureau of Economic Security is still ahead,” Head of the profile parliamentary committee Danylo Hetmantsev said, commenting on the adoption of the law.
The adoption by the Verkhovna Rada of this document was welcomed by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who called it “a landmark event.”
“Ukraine is taking another step towards Europe and the civilized world. The tax police are becoming a thing of the past, and a new analytical body will appear in its place, which will investigate financial and economic crimes without corruption and masked shows,” the head of government said.
The Ministry of Finance said that the adoption of the law on the creation of a financial investigation body is part of Ukraine’s international obligations, in particular, under the Stand-By Arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and EU macro-financial assistance.
The ministry recalled that the document was developed with the aim of eliminating the tax police and creating an independent state law enforcement agency, which is obliged to perform the functions of analytical assessment, prevention, detection, suppression, investigation and disclosure of criminal offenses attributed by law to its jurisdiction.
The new body will unite all the units for combating economic crimes of all law enforcement agencies and will pay more attention to analytical work, which will reduce pressure on business and improve the investment climate in Ukraine.
According to the document posted on the Rada’s website, the Bureau of Economic Security should be created, and the State Fiscal Service should be liquidated within six months after the law enters into force (its publication). It was recommended that the Cabinet of Ministers take measures to form a tender panel to appoint the Director of the Bureau, create this new body and its territorial departments. An open competition for positions in the central office of the Bureau of Economic Security must be held within four months from the date of entry into force of the law.
In addition, an audit of material resources, weapons and special means of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine should be carried out and they are to be transferred to the Bureau of Economic Security.
