European Solidarity on appointment of BES head: I wouldn’t like Ukraine to receive another ‘black mark’ from Brussels in Sept
The European Solidarity faction in the Verkhovna Rada regards the requirement for the winner of the competition for the position of head of the Bureau of Economic Security (BES), Oleksandr Tsyvynsky, to undergo a polygraph test as legal nihilism and demands that he be immediately appointed to the position in order to avoid accusations from the EU of disrupting reforms and failing to fulfill its obligations.
"The latest statements by the Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko regarding the government's requirement for the winner of the competition for the position of head of the BES, Oleksandr Tsyvynsky, to undergo a polygraph test are legal nihilism and attempts to talk and delay the process, an attempt to discredit the candidate and the selection committee. There is no such provision in the law on the competition and appointment, and the head of the Government, like all other ministers, must strictly adhere to the law, and not interpret it in a free manner," says the statement published on the website of the political force.
The faction emphasizes that the reform of the BES, as well as the immediate reform and reboot of the ARMA and the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), are "key beacons for continued assistance from the IMF and the Ukraine Facility." "The European Commission, which welcomed the restoration of the independence of NABU and SAPO, reminded the Ukrainian authorities that this is not enough. Kyiv is expected to immediately appoint the head of the BES, reboot the State Bureau of Investigation, and abolish the shameful practice of extrajudicial sanctions against the opposition ... We would really not like Ukraine to receive another ‘black mark’ from Brussels in September for disrupting reforms and failing to fulfill obligations," the statement says.
The European Solidarity recalls that they have registered draft resolution No. 13470 in parliament demanding that the government appoint the head of the BES.
As reported, the commission for the competition for the position of director of the BES first recommended Tsyvynsky to the government on June 25. Three foreign members of the commission voted for him, while Ukrainian representatives cast their votes for two other candidates - Mykhailo Burtovyi and Oleh Borysenko.
The Cabinet of Ministers, which has 10 days to approve the candidate, reviewed the submission on July 7 and, in connection with the SBU letter, asked the commission to resubmit no more than two candidates who would meet all established requirements, including security criteria. Newly appointed Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko supported this decision and called it legal.
On July 23, the commission for selecting the director of the BES re-submitted Tsyvynsky's candidacy to the government. At the meeting on July 30, the day before the end of the structural beacon of the program with the IMF, the Cabinet of Ministers did not appoint the director of the BES.
On July 31, Tsyvynsky stated that he had made a request to the Security Service of Ukraine regarding his verification for connections with the Russian Federation during the competition and that the special service had officially confirmed that there were no grounds for not appointing him to the position of Director of the Bureau. Regarding the general situation, the winner of the competition emphasized that the commission had conducted all stages properly and had repeatedly confirmed his candidacy as the only winner.
On August 1, Svyrydenko reported that she had agreed with Tsyvynsky to undergo a polygraph test before the appointment. "This will definitely deprive the situation of any manipulation and allow us to move forward. I expect that next week we will be able to make a corresponding decision that will allow us to update the work of the BES and will be a significant contribution to a positive reboot of relations between the state and business," she said.