Prime Minister of
Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk appealed to Parliament to urgently get back to
voting the bill on the confiscation of US$ 1.5 billion of the former
regime. The failure to support this law means “to whitewashthe
crimes of the former regime” – the PM has announced at a
Government meeting today, Wednesday, March 16.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk has reminded
that yesterday the Parliament of Ukraine failed to support the
law which provides an opportunity for Ukrainian law enforcement to confiscate US$1
billion 520 million that had been plundered by the former regime. According
to him, the aforesaid sum was arrested by a governmental
body – theState Financial Monitoring Service of Ukraine – back in 2014.
The owners of these assets are 42 non-resident companies registered in
Cyprus, the Seychelles, Panama, the UK, Belize: "The owners
of these companies are direct associates of Viktor Yanukovych and his
inner circle".
The Prime Minister
demonstrated materials containing the schemes to funnel assets and concrete
proofsthat "close associates of Viktor Yanukovych and him personally
appear direct or indirect owners of these non-resident companies against which
an investigation was instituted."
Pursuant to
the law of Ukraine on the state budget, stressed Arseniy Yatsenyuk, part of
these funds should be directed to the Ministry of Defence to cover state
demands in defence sector, whilst the other part - on
social and economic development of the state.
He appealed to all
political parties of the democratic coalition: "Why didn’t you
support the law yesterday? Which of the democratic parties is willing to
protect the supporters of Yanukovych and hampers the chance
toconfiscate the money stolen from people of Ukraine?"
"We should
check yesterday’s results of voting to answer this
question", stressed the Head of Government.
"This was and still
remains a key demand of the Maidan and the Ukrainian people – to
restore justice. Thissum worth US$ 1.5 billion might be compared to
as assistance from the Government of the United States of America. Hence, who
will dare to help us, if funds that we arrested haven’t been
forfeited throughout a year andthe investigation hasn’t been completed?", urged Arseniy Yatsenyuk.
"This is not
politics, it is the whitewash of the crimes of the former
regime", he emphasized.
The Prime
Minister of Ukraine called on members of Parliament to promptly get
back to voting for a bill, "to provide a procedural opportunity
for Ukrainian law-enforcement system to carry out the procedure of forfeiture
and to recover money stolen from people to fill the Ukrainian state treasury."
The Head of
Government handed over the relevant documents to the Minister of
Internal Affairs of UkraineArsen Avakov and appealed to the Minister
of the Interior "to contact Western partners and ask law
enforcement agencies of other countries to help to
find out the ultimate owners of these companies and prevent an opportunity
to change companies owners abroad": "To my mind, it is
now being discussed. They expect either the replacement of the Government
or a change of policy and positions. And then they will say that they couldn't haveconfiscated (the
funds)".
"It is
crucial to urgently adopt the law and enable prosecutors to conclude
an investigation and pursuantto the law to confiscate these assets.
Our western partners should help the Ukrainian law enforcement agenciesand
the Ukrainian people to facilitate the forfeiture of funds and to
prevent an opportunity to transfer ownershiprights regarding these 42
non-resident company to someone else who then, through the judicial system
of Ukraine, will make money back and distribute it not as
expenditures in the state budget, but among the other corrupt
officials", said Arseniy Yatsenyuk.
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