Business community calls on Zelensky not to slow down the competition for the BES head
23 June 12:28
The Ukrainian Business Council has sent an official open letter to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko, and Minister of Finance Sergiy Marchenko regarding the inadmissibility of delay or political interference in the competition for the director of the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine (BES), "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
The appeal, signed by a union of 124 business associations representing more than 27,000 enterprises, emphasizes the need for a transparent, independent and fair selection of the new head of the BES. The business community is concerned about the risks of disrupting the competition and signals of a possible departure from the declared standards of openness.
It is noted that since the BES was established, the business community has supported the idea of forming a modern analytical and law enforcement agency capable of effectively combating economic crime, while reducing pressure on honest business and protecting the economic interests of the state.
“However, the four years of the BES’s operation have demonstrated a deep discrepancy between the initial concept of the body and its actual activities,” the document says.
The main problems are systemic staff instability, insufficient analytical capacity, dominance of law enforcement tools over preventive ones, and increased pressure on business from other law enforcement agencies.
The business community supported the reform initiated by the Verkhovna Rada and the process of rebooting the BES. Expectations centered on the election of a professional and independent head based on a competitive selection process with the participation of international experts.
However, according to the URB, the actions of some representatives of the Ukrainian part of the competition commission during the meetings on June 8-9 raised concerns about the possible departure from the principles of transparency and objectivity.
“Regardless of the motives, such behavior can be perceived as threatening the credibility of the BES reform and can cause significant damage to Ukraine’s image at the international level,” the authors of the appeal emphasize.
The business calls on the authorities to
- ensure strict adherence to the procedures and deadlines established by law during the competition for the position of BES director
- to prevent political or administrative interference in the activities of the competition commission
- ensure that the new BES management will be selected on the basis of a transparent, independent and objective competition, with the participation of international experts and in compliance with the principles of openness and integrity.
Ukrainian business expects the competition to be completed as soon as possible and a professional head of the BES to be appointed who will be able to effectively fight economic crimes without putting unnecessary pressure on honest businesses.
Scandal with the competition for the head of the BES
Representatives of the state in the selection committee for the position of the head of the Bureau of Economic Security (BES) disrupted the last stage of the competition, namely the interview with the candidates, citing the need for additional verification by the Security Service of Ukraine.
Although all the candidates passed the special check on May 15, according to Yuriy Ponomarenko, the state representative in the commission, information emerged at the last minute that at least three candidates may have ties to Russia.
“Now, when the very survival of Ukrainian statehood is at stake, we must be as careful as possible. Only the Security Service of Ukraine can be the only authoritative source of verification of information about possible ties between the candidates and Russia,” he said during the last meeting.
Martyna Bohuslavets, head of the Anti-Corruption Center “Mezha”, said that the competition for the post of head of the Bureau of Economic Security (BES) on June 9 was finally disrupted by the President’s office. According to her, three government members of the competition commission from Ukraine did not attend the meeting and disrupted it due to the lack of quorum: Yuriy Ponomarenko from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Oleh Hilyaka from the Ministry of Economy, and Tetiana Matselyk from the Ministry of Finance.
She also points out that the competition for the position of BES director is our country’s obligation to the International Monetary Fund and that Ukraine could lose five billion dollars in support if it fails to fulfill its obligations .
Bohuslavets emphasizes that the commission has very little time left, as the agreement with the IMF stipulates that the competition should be completed by the end of July this year.
“Funding for the Commission’s activities is also limited, and the situation threatens to completely disrupt the reset of the BES and damage Ukraine’s financial capacity,” she adds.
The Anti-Corruption Center “Mezha” handed over a laptop with information in English on the disruption of the competition to 30 international partners, including the G7.
