
“White Business Club” or a threat to national security? SBU should check companies with ties to Russia
Kyiv • UNN
“White Business Club” or a threat to national security? The SBU should check companies with ties to Russia.
The "White Business Club", which was supposed to unite only transparent and honest companies, included companies with ties to sanctioned persons and Russia. Security expert Serhiy Shabovta in a commentary to UNN emphasizes that this situation poses a threat to Ukraine's national security and requires a detailed investigation by the SBU, as some companies may even be financing Russia through their activities in Ukraine.
Context
According to the Opendatabot analytical platform, 7,997 companies were included in the "White Business Club," which, as declared by Danylo Hetmantsev, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs, was created for honest and conscientious business and would protect entrepreneurs from excessive attention from the tax authorities. That is, the list of selected businesses had to include those that meet the standards of transparent business conduct in Ukraine, demonstrate openness, pay taxes in good faith, submit reports, and have no ties to Russia.
"However, at the time of the full-scale invasion, 24 companies from the club had Russian owners. Currently, there is no official Russian trace in any of these businesses. It should be reminded that since the beginning of the full-scale war, Ukraine has had a moratorium on changing registration data in companies with Russian owners, except for a few cases clearly defined by law," the statement said.
It is noted that Opendatabot has sent an appeal to the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine to verify registration changes in such businesses.
"The Opendatabot analyzed the companies included in the trusted list of the State Tax Service and found representatives among them who are related to the sanctioned persons through joint business. For example, two companies belong to the Kozak brothers' group, whose owners have ties to Viktor Medvedchuk's group. The list also includes businesses that have ties to Alef Corporation, owned by the sanctioned Vadym Yermolaiev, and Burisma Group, whose owner is in the Corruption Register, etc." the analysts added.
Details
"When it comes to companies linked to the aggressor country and threats to national security, this is the competence of the SBU. They must examine this information thoroughly, check and punish those responsible. This is indeed a threat to Ukraine's national security on a large scale. Anything is possible, including the possibility that they may be financing the Russian Federation through their activities here," Shabovta said.
According to him, this situation became possible because of corruption.
"So we can't rule out the possibility that these companies got there because of some preferences?
I don't even have to say it, it's just the way it is. But why do they need that list, just like that? Or to promote their interests? Probably the latter," Shabovta said.
The security expert is convinced that the SBU should look into the situation with the White Business Club.
Add
Experts and the business community emphasize that Hetmantsev's initiative to create such a club of the elite is discriminatory and violates the Constitution of Ukraine. Anatoliy Amelin, executive director and co-founder of the Ukrainian Institute for the Future think tank, believes that this creates an opportunity to divide entrepreneurs into those who are politically unwanted and those who are acceptable to the authorities.
"This is discrimination, this is discretion and this is a violation of the Constitution. According to the Constitution, everyone is equal before the law. This law creates conditions under which someone has preferences and a model that determines whether a company should be included in the White Business Club or not - they determine their performance there is better than the market average. But this is a market, this is a free economy: someone works better, someone works worse, and the idea itself is unconstitutional," he said .
Business Ombudsman Roman Vashchuk also criticized the White Business Club. In particular, he noted that it would create a reservation for the elite instead of leveling the playing field for all businesses.