The legislation earlier adopted by the Verkhovna Rada got an axe  from the Ukrainian president on June 15. The blocked law No.4651 was set to impose liabilities for false information and  fraud in asset declaration forms made mandatory fro state and regional officials.

Zelensky vetoed the policy citing the amendments from Ukrainian MPs that ‘create loopholes for the unscrupulous declarants’, says the statement on the official web site of the Ukrainian president.

The amendments approved by the parliament change assest declarations in connection to  property of declarants’ family members.

‘According to the amendments such property is to be declared only if a declarant’s family members  provide  information on such assets. Thus, a declarant can be held accountable only for false information in declaration of assets he gets from  his family members. This comes as a legal loophole  .. allowing not to declare movable and immovable property owned or used by relatives, where declarants can claim that their relatives failed to provide information on such property,’ says the President’s office in the statement.

the  also emphasizes that digital system of  asset declarations was one of the requirements from the EU for a visa-free regime Ukraine was granted.

Two amendments that made Zelensky veto the policy

The law no. 4651 amended articles 366-2 and 366-3 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code imposing ‘criminal liability’ that carries up to 2 years’ term in prison  for ‘declaring false information’.

Then came two amendments from ‘Servant of the People’ MPs that changed the initial wording making it possible not to declare assets of family members to avoid responsibility for false statements in asset declaration.

The first amendment now commands declaration of family members’ property  only if  the latter informed the declarant about such assets, while the second proposal removed  the stipulation of 2 years’ imprisonment for such acts.

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