The Verkhovna Rada has previously approved the reset of customs

In the first reading, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) adopted draft law No. 6490-d on the reset of customs.

This was reported on April 11 by the head of the Verkhovna Radaʼs committee on finance, tax and customs policy Danylo Hetmantsev and his deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak.

Pro — 260 MPs.

The draft law proposes to change the procedure for the competitive selection of the head of customs — on the basis of the best practices of competitions for anti-corruption bodies (SAPO, NABU). The tender commission will consist of 9 people, who will be determined by the government, five of them will be selected based on the proposals of international organizations. The competition committee will identify only one person who will be submitted to the Prime Minister for consideration for appointment.

It is also proposed to introduce an annual external audit of the effectiveness of customs operations. A negative conclusion of such an audit will be a key reason for the dismissal of the head, which will not give the opportunity to change the head of customs simply at the will of the government.

Within a year after the election of the new head, re-certification of all customs employees will take place, in particular on the issue of integrity. Failure to pass re-certification will mean the dismissal of such an employee.

The draft law also proposes to abolish the need to agree with the Ministry of Finance on the appointment and dismissal of middle-level managers.

• On February 1, the Cabinet of Ministers dismissed the leadership of the State Customs Service. Acting chairman Vyacheslav Demchenko was dismissed from his post. His deputy Oleksandr Shchutskyi was also dismissed. In addition, customs instituted disciplinary proceedings against another deputy Ruslan Cherkaskyi. He was suspended from his post for the period of the investigation.