Grigol Katamadze, President of SBI, ANU, Vice-President of the European Association of taxpayers, Ambassador extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

I firmly believe that now among the large number of legislative “anti-crisis” initiatives, there is one that needs to be addressed in the near future is the creation of a new single body that will investigate financial and economic crime – financial investigation Service. Delay of power with this issue need.

Never tire of publicly and consistently for almost 5 years to offer the Concept of the Association of taxpayers of Ukraine on enterprises in the financial investigation Service of the economic divisions of tax militia, composed of the SFS of Ukraine, the Department of public service of fight against economic crime (GSBEP) in the structure of the Ministry of internal Affairs of Ukraine, Department of counterprospecting protection of economy of state (DCTAG) in the structure of the SBU. They have problems of jurisdiction, duplication of authority, lack of personal responsibility for “shadow” economy, for abuse and damage, as is the lack of coordination of interaction of bodies of financial control.

In my opinion, using the power of financial monitoring of the financial investigation Service, the transition from punitive functions to the functions of intelligence and investigation with a clear definition of basic objectives and competencies established authority, the authority will be able to regain the trust of society to public authorities, for example, tax police, dissatisfaction with the work which demonstrates the business environment.

Of course, the task of the new single body that will investigate financial and economic crimes, should be to ensure financial security of the state. It is the protection of public Finance during the filling of the budget and budget allocations, careful and painstaking work with system offences such as embezzlement of budget funds and evasion from payment of taxes in especially large sizes, the work on counteraction to laundering of proceeds of crime, detection and tracing of assets derived from persons under investigation for economic crimes. Finally, it will allow to eliminate corruption in many areas, which is a very relevant issue of our time.

Pandemic coronavirus is a very serious challenge for the world. For anybody not a secret that in the State budget of Ukraine for 2020 no financial resources to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease and overcoming its consequences. Besides, we all already noticeable, in connection with quarantine, depleted financial resources of the state, reduced the standard of living of the population, and in return even greater level of “shadowing” and criminalization of the economy.

International experience suggests that reducing the number of state bodies of financial control and financial investigations only increases the efficiency of their activities.

I want to stress that the authorities need to urgently implement all in order to “epidemic” pressure on business is finally over. The business must be protected from unjustified interference in his economic activities and criminal prosecution.

In Ukraine in connection with the quarantine has temporarily suspended its activities on 29% of companies, 6% have fully closed its business, part of the business areas was left entirely without income, a third of business owners (mainly micro), declare the income decline by 90-100% from the beginning of the quarantine and has already released 50% of staff etc., as reported Opendatabot. Sorry, we only spent three weeks in quarantine and who knows how many will have to spend more time. Therefore, I am convinced that the state is more significantly and strongly should affect financial processes, creating conditions for development of Economics and business, hard to control and inevitable “punish” members of a criminal financial schemes and the like.

For me and I’m sure many Ukrainians did not understand the situation with the “attempt” of power to create a new single body to investigate financial and economic crime – financial investigation Service.

So, in the fall of 2019 a group of deputies, representatives of analytical centers and Ukrainian business community, lawyers, economists, financiers, 2.5 months actively worked in the working groups and for final adoption of the Law on the establishment of the FIS had very little – vote in Parliament, and the President to sign the Law and put it into action and start the process. Instead, the labor, time, energy a huge number of people who worked on the bill and believed that we are moving towards the creation of a modern constitutional state, the 17-page text of the comments from the main legal Department of Verkhovna Rada sent to the “junk” basket.

I draw the attention of the government and deputies to the inadmissibility in any case of reduction of expenditures on the creation of the financial investigation Service in the amount of 1.3 billion UAH. looking for sources of a Reserve Fund. So far, the promises and attempts as the previous and current government to create a single body did not materialize.

Sure I can come “dashing” 90-e years, if not worse.