European Solidarity, Holos MPs demand govt appoint head of Ukraine's Economic Security Bureau

Members of Parliament from the European Solidarity and Holos factions have registered a resolution in the Verkhovna Rada demanding that the government immediately comply with the law and appoint the Director of the Bureau of Economic Security (BES), Holos MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak announced.

"European Solidarity and our colleagues from Holos have registered a resolution demanding that the government immediately uphold the law and appoint the head of the BES, selected through a transparent and fair competition," Zhelezniak wrote on Telegram.

He emphasized that Oleksandr Tsyvinsky, the candidate recommended by the BES selection commission on June 25, "won a transparent competition with the participation of international and Ukrainian experts – a process welcomed by G7 ambassadors."

"The BES reform is part of Ukraine's commitments under its agreement with the IMF and the Ukraine Facility. Ukraine critically depends on Western financial support, and this brazen sabotage of the competition – especially during the Rome conference – is a deliberate blow to partner trust and a setback to our EU integration," Zhelezniak said.

As previously reported, on July 9 the BES selection commission published an official document from the Cabinet of Ministers stating its decision not to appoint the competition's winner as BES director.

Earlier, on July 7, the government reviewed the commission's recommendation and asked it to resubmit up to two candidates who meet all established requirements, including security criteria.

The commission had initially recommended Tsyvinsky, former head of the NABU detective division.

Appointing the BES director based on the competition results by the end of July is a condition of Ukraine's Extended Fund Facility program with the IMF.

The business community has publicly appealed to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to overturn the Cabinet's decision and appoint Tsyvinsky, as recommended by the BES selection commission.

Tsyvinsky himself has stated that the Cabinet's demand for resubmission of candidates violates the law.