Zelenskyy proposes reinstating asset declarations for security personnel in the rear — how the system works now
Kyiv • UNN
The president wants to reinstate full asset declarations for law enforcement officers and military personnel not on the front line. Militants and personnel in high-risk areas are exempt.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the return of asset declarations for law enforcement officers and military personnel who are not at war, to an extent that will reliably make it possible to genuinely monitor the property status and lifestyle of law enforcement officers. UNN explains who must declare their income and who may refrain from doing so during martial law.
Details
There are decisions that need to be made. There will be a decision that will restore asset declarations for law enforcement officers and the Security Forces who are not at war, to an extent that will reliably make it possible to genuinely monitor the property status and lifestyle of law enforcement officers
Declaration of income and property status
Back in 2014, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the Law "On Prevention of Corruption" with the aim of comprehensively reforming the corruption prevention system in accordance with international standards and successful practices of foreign countries.
In 2016, Ukraine introduced an e-declaration system, enabling citizens to monitor and track changes in the property status of officials.
The obligation to submit declarations is established by the Law "On Prevention of Corruption," while the National Agency on Corruption Prevention is responsible for monitoring and verifying their accuracy.
Who must submit a declaration
The declaration of property status and income must be submitted by:
- persons authorized to perform the functions of the state or
local self-government, including: the President, the leadership of the Verkhovna Rada, the Prime Minister and ministers of the Cabinet of Ministers, the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, the Prosecutor General, the leadership of the National Bank, members of the Accounting Chamber, the Ombudsman, and the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language;
- members of parliament and deputies of local councils;
- civil servants and officials of local
self-government;
- military officials of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, except for conscript military personnel, cadets of higher military educational institutions, cadets of higher educational institutions that include military institutes, cadets of faculties, departments and divisions of military training, and personnel of regular military medical commissions;
- judges;
- employees of the State Criminal and Executive Service,
the State Emergency Service, the State Bureau of Investigation, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, the Bureau of Economic Security, and officials of the prosecutor's offices, diplomatic service and customs authorities;
- the Head and Deputy Head of the NACP;
- members of the Central Election Commission;
- police officers;
- officials and civil servants of other state bodies, including the Pension Fund and the authorities of Crimea;
- members of state collegial bodies, including commissioners responsible for reviewing complaints concerning violations of legislation in the field of public procurement;
- the leadership of the Office of the President;
- the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council and his assistants;
- advisers to the President;
- officials of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission;
- the Military Ombudsman, Deputy Military Ombudsmen, the head of the staff and civil servants of the staff of the Office of the Military Ombudsman.
Declarations during wartime
In April 2022, following the start of russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law allowing civil servants not to submit declarations until the end of martial law, with the aim of creating legal mechanisms to protect the interests of reporting subjects during the period of martial law or a state of war.
However, a year later, the Rada adopted a law restoring income declarations, albeit with certain exceptions. Thus, the following were added to the persons required to submit declarations:
- those serving in the military in the positions of ministers,
deputy ministers, heads of central and local executive authorities and their deputies;
- those who are members of military medical commissions,
medical-flight commissions or are seconded to them;
- those serving in territorial recruitment and social support centers
or seconded to them (except for rank-and-file personnel of the security units of the respective centers);
- who carry out (participate in carrying out)
preparation, organization, and conduct of procurement of goods, works, and services
in accordance with the laws “On Defense Procurement” and “On Public Procurement.”
These changes were introduced due to the high level of corruption risks in the activities of such commissions, caused, among other things, by the increased relevance and importance of their work, taking into account martial law in Ukraine.
At the same time, the obligation to submit electronic declarations has been temporarily postponed for categories of officials whose activities are directly related to the country’s defense, presence in a risk zone, or health-related restrictions:
- members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Border Guard Service, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Main Intelligence Directorate, the State Guard Department, and the State Service of Special Communications, as well as special-purpose police officers involved in combat operations;
- persons performing their duties in areas of active
hostilities or in temporarily occupied territories;
- military personnel and officials who are in
captivity/hostage situations, receiving inpatient treatment, or undergoing rehabilitation after injuries, concussions, or other bodily harm;
- employees whose service details constitute a state
secret.
If the official personally belongs to one of the groups listed above, the obligation to submit reports is also postponed for their family members.
Why Zelenskyy Wants to Reinstate Declarations
The need to reinstate mandatory declarations for rear-area military personnel and law enforcement officers arose due to a number of social, anti-corruption, and legislative factors.
For example, in October 2024, an official of the Medical and Social Expert Commission and her son—the head of the regional Pension Fund office in Khmelnytskyi region—were exposed for illicit enrichment amounting to millions of dollars. During searches, almost $6 million in cash in various currencies was found in their possession alone.
In September, the case against the former head of the Khmelnytskyi Medical and Social Expert Commission, former deputy of the Khmelnytskyi Regional Council Tetiana Krupa, her husband, and her son was sent to court. They are accused of illicit enrichment amounting to UAH 160 million.
In 2023, the NACP identified signs of illicit enrichment by former Odesa military enlistment office chief Yevhen Borysov amounting to more than UAH 188 million.
Criminal proceedings were initiated against the former military enlistment office chief under several articles on the facts of illicit enrichment. The State Bureau of Investigation detained the former official in July 2023, and the court remanded him in custody. That same month, the suspect was dismissed from military service.
In the course of the investigation, it was established, among other things, that he had purchased two real estate properties in the city of Marbella, Málaga Province, Kingdom of Spain.
In particular, in December 2022, he arranged for a house worth more than €4 million to be purchased in his mother’s name, with a total area of 857 sq. m on a 1,530 sq. m plot of land.
Later, in February 2023, he purchased, together with his wife, office premises worth more than €500,000, with a total area of 223.9 sq. m.
In 2024, the State Bureau of Investigation notified a senior official of the Lviv Regional Medical and Social Expert Commission of suspicion of concealing millions in assets from declaration.
In May of this year, the National Police conducted more than 40 investigative actions in cases of illicit enrichment and false declarations by Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center officials across the country. The amount of documented violations totals nearly UAH 92 million.
And these are only some of the cases recorded since the full-scale invasion. However, it is worth noting that about two weeks ago, the Cabinet of Ministers opposed Zelenskyy’s plans by approving and submitting to parliament bill No. 15574, which proposes opening the declarations of persons carrying out tasks in the interests of Ukraine’s national security and defense one year after martial law is lifted.
According to the draft law, declarations filed by military personnel of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, the State Guard Department of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations established in accordance with the laws of Ukraine, as well as by police officers of special-purpose police units who are involved in combat operations during martial law, will not be displayed in the public domain.