Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk after much effort managed to push in the Verkhovna Rada a bill on the confiscation of assets of ousted President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych and his associates. Assets are valued at approximately $ 1.5 billion.
The bill has passed in the first reading. Yatsenyuk, who turned in an extremely difficult political position, before even blamed recalcitrant colleagues on “to democratic camp” in the betrayal, because this huge by the standards of the current crisis of the Ukraine government made to the state budget for 2016. Ironically, the war for “the legacy of Yanukovych,” just entering in the acute phase, can cause a decisive blow to the Ukrainian economy and the army. In a situation understood “Tape.ru”.
Less and less
Question of confiscation of the assets of the Yanukovych family, which could have been used to build a “European and economically strong Ukraine”, current government of the country raised from its first days of activity. Motivation special originality did not differ, but the sum of the “inheritance” was literally melting before our eyes. In April 2014, in London even organized a special forum, where occupying at that moment the post of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Oleg Mahnitsky fixed starting point — the fight will go over 100 billion dollars. He said that at least one third of the aforesaid sum of cash transported in trucks to Russia, but the rest is in European banks, and it’s like gives hope for the return of these funds in long-suffering Ukrainian state budget.
Interestingly, Yatsenyuk around the same time was evaluated the amount of loss is approximately $ 70 billion allegedly withdrawn from the country in the past three years. “These funds were deposited in the offshore… it is Now clear that withdrawal of funds were taken as loans under state guarantees and was robbed by representatives of the previous government,” he said. The inevitable questions about such significant discrepancies in evaluations of high-ranking Ukrainian officials were in no hurry to answer. The message from them was this: they say, still confiscated all of you.
Still nothing back and really start the process, Kiev was already in the black, having mastered 2.5 million dollars of American aid in the creation of the Ministry of justice of Ukraine of a separate Department for the return of stolen funds by corrupt officials. It would seem that now it will go, but reached almost two years the results are more than modest. In Switzerland the amount of frozen assets of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and his entourage — about 190 million dollars, in other countries and less: Britain — 17 million euros, Liechtenstein — 22 million euros, the Cyprus — five million euros.
In Cyprus the situation and is anecdotal. As stated in MOKAS, independent state organizations of Cyprus authorized to resist international crime in the financial sector, Ukraine was not even sent a request on international legal assistance on the basis of which it could jointly investigate a case about money laundering. Accordingly, there are no criminal cases and to talk about the return of even such a small amount in Kiev is not necessary. This was announced in August 2014, and it seems that since then Kiev so nothing was taken.
In 2015, talking about “the legacy of Yanukovych” from abroad generally came to naught. The Prosecutor General’s office of Ukraine published a sensation: to find the assets of Yanukovych abroad failed. After a thorough investigation revealed that the ousted President “was not in the habit to save money in the form of cash, this man of the old school and, apparently, preferred cash”.
Just last year in the Ukrainian budget was returned about 300 000 hryvnias (a little more than 10 thousand dollars) “corrupt means”. And the money of Yanukovych there was no penny. And now the authorities are focusing on a new task — to “catch” at least 1.5 billion dollars, which is arrested under the control of the government Yatsenyuk bodies.
All-Yatsenyuk
Yatsenyuk’s government through its authorized Agency formally responsible for combating with money laundering, was arrested by the notorious $ 1.5 billion of assets owned by Yanukovych and people close to him, even at the peak of the struggle for “100 billion” — in 2014. This 42 companies registered in Cyprus, Seychelles, Panama, UK, Belize. The owners allegedly are directly related with Viktor Yanukovych and his inner circle. However, the problem is to legalize the confiscation should the Parliament of Ukraine, and for different reasons this was not in a hurry. More than a year the Prime Minister first requested and then demanded of the relevant decision of the legislature. Received nothing and went for broke by including this amount in the state budget of Ukraine for 2016. Mostly at the “sensitive” article — military spending.
The main financial document of Ukraine allocates in 2016 on defense and security of the 100 billion or five percent of Ukraine’s GDP. Of this amount, the Ministry of defense of Ukraine will receive a record since 1991 55,5 billion. “The legacy of Yanukovych” at the current rate of pull by 40 billion hryvnia, and clearly the problems of Ukraine is fraught with failure confiscatory cunning plan Yatsenyuk.
On March 15 the government once again tried to draw the bill through Parliament specefication and again fiasco — the deputies did not even agree to include this issue in the agenda, not to mention the consideration of the merits. The discussion was quite in the Ukrainian spirit with the blocking of a tribune, fights, mutual insults and early adjournment of the meeting. To help Yatsenyuk suddenly came the Radical party of Oleh Lyashko, however, the main parliamentary force of “Block of Petro Poroshenko” — remained adamant: “it is Proposed to confiscate the assets of people whose guilt is not proved by the court, and that’s absurd.”
On March 16 at the government meeting Yatsenyuk not restrained emotions, blaming Parliament in “any cover-up of crimes of the previous regime” pathetic and complaining that “the democratic party” protecting the environment Yanukovych, “not allowed to confiscate stolen from people of Ukraine money”. At the same time the Prime Minister put pressure on the sore spot, promising the Parliament that the West is now finally stop financial aid if the Ukrainian officials are not able to complete the investigation and to confiscate funds arrested in 2014. At the end of his rousing speech Yatsenyuk gave Parliament another chance to “change their mind” and immediately return to vote for a bill to “procedure to give an opportunity for Ukrainian law-enforcement system to carry out the procedure of forfeiture and to recover the income of the Ukrainian state stolen people’s money.”
First reading
Whether the Prime Minister’s speech has an effect, whether there were reached some tacit agreement, but on March 17, the Rada returned to the consideration of the confiscation bill and adopted it on first reading. Although at first the development of events did not give reasons for optimism — the deputies again defended his position with his fists and even tried to gouge out the eyes of dissenters.
As a result of discussions from the law were excluded the contentious issues of confiscation of property in an extrajudicial manner, but with the caveat — if the suspect six months hiding from the investigation, then his money will still go to the state budget of Ukraine without judgment. As such, the Parliament and voted for the bill with a margin of just two votes: 228 support 226 when necessary. Now the bill will be sent back for revision (which will attract “the European experts”) and then again put to the vote. In the camp Yatsenyuk not hide satisfaction intermediate outcome of this battle. Supporters of Poroshenko, the mood more restrained — say, celebrate we will, when the money really gets into the budget, as long as there is a risk that “the money was stolen by Yanukovych and loot again today.”
From a fashion point of view, the confiscatory Council decision, of course, can add to the asset Yatsenyuk, even though persecuted from all sides that the Prime Minister could not help. But the adoption of the law in the first reading is only a formal step, securing commitment, and the government have something to lose. His word has not told Yanukovych himself (he can appeal to the European court) and Western institutions, rather awe related to security of assets. Very likely the hole is almost 40 billion hryvnia finally able to bring down the Ukrainian economy and is fraught with unpredictable problems in the Ukrainian army. For Ukraine this will be the price of the “inheritance of Yanukovych” that politicians in Kiev used as a weapon in the war against each other.
