Danylov has strongly expressed his opinion about the new legislation on oligarchs passed by the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian Parliament). He says that September 23 is the most important day in the modern history of Ukraine.
“Perhaps later, experts and scientists will refer to this day as the point of bifurcation. But for us, this day has become the point of choice between the future and the past. Of course, we could continue following the same old path of which we got tired and which would lead us to the future without the future or choose another though difficult path, the path of changes and cleansing which no one has travelled till now,” said Danylov.
He added, “For thirty years our country has been led along false roads often bringing us to a stalemate or pushing us to the old Moscow route which is strewn with bones of Ukrainians.”
He went on the say, “It is a question of establishing our country as a state and it is a question of our future. Either the situation persists when a dozen people continue to accumulate in their hands 90% of the national riches or we’ll try to work hard to build a state of equal opportunities and equal access for everyone.”
On September 23, the Verkhovna Rada passed the Law “On eliminating threats to national security by the excessive influence of persons who have a considerable economic and political weight in public life.” The law was approved by 279 deputies. Fifty-four deputies voted against the passing of such a law, and 27 legislators abstained from voting.
The Council for National Security and Defense will decide who in Ukraine is an oligarch. Also, a register of oligarchs will be compiled.
Thus, under the adopted law, an oligarch is a physical person who meets at least the three of the following characteristics: takes an active part in the political life of the country; has a considerable influence on the media; is a final beneficiary owner of a business entity which is a subject of natural monopolies or stays at the market as a monopolist, maintains and strengthens this position during one year; if the confirmed value of his business assets of which he is a final beneficiary exceeds one million of the required subsistence wages established for able-bodies persons as of January 1 of this year.
The CNSD is empowered to decide whether this or that person is an oligarch. And its decision is the basis for including him in the Register of persons who have a considerable economic and political weight in the public life of the country.
A person who has been acknowledged as an oligarch and is included in the Register is forbidden to contribute his finances, fulfill works, present goods or services to support political parties, to pay fees to the election fund of a candidate (except for his own election fund) during election campaigns, to be a buyer (or the beneficiary of a buyer) during the privatization of large entities, to finance any political agitation or organize and hold meetings and demonstrations with political demands.
In commenting on the adoption of the law, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had this to say, “I welcome the passage of the anti-oligarchs law by the Parliament. Ukraine is open for large businesses but not for oligarchs’ influence on government officials, politicians and the media. Today, we have made another step toward the elimination of such influence.”
The newspaper Voice of Ukraine
