Tsyvinsky was not approved: the government asks for new candidates for the BES head
8 July 2025 01:19
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine did not support the candidacy of Oleksandr Tsyvinsky for the post of director of the Bureau of Economic Security (BES) and asked the competition commission to submit new candidates. This was reported by the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
“The members of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine unanimously decided to appeal to the Commission for the Selection of the Director of the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine with a proposal to re-submit no more than two candidates who will meet all the established requirements, including security criteria,” the statement said.
The government assured that it had studied additional materials provided by the SBU, in particular, which relate to national security issues and contain relevant security assessments.
According to government representatives, this decision was made in full compliance with the provisions of the Law of Ukraine “On the Bureau of Economic Security” and ensures compliance with the procedures for appointing the institution’s management.
Thus, the Cabinet of Ministers decided not to approve Oleksandr Tsyvinsky, who was previously selected in a competition, as the director of the BES.
Who is Oleksandr Tsyvinsky?
Oleksandr Tsyvynskyi has a law degree and extensive experience in law enforcement. He is originally from Lviv region.
Tsyvynskyi is a current detective at the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and has been working there since 2015.
He is in charge of the 3rd Detective Unit of the 2nd Main Department of the NABU.
He took part in the high-profile investigation into corruption in the construction sector of Kyiv, “Clean City”.
Tsyvinsky said he does not communicate with his father, who lives in Russia.
The Anti-Corruption Action Center claims that he has passed all the checks necessary for access to state secrets.
Scandal with the competition for the head of the BES
Representatives of the state in the competition commission 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.
