At the very beginning of the evening meeting, parliamentarians applauded a delegation of the Norwegian Parliament, which is paying an official visit to Ukraine.
Parliamentarians then proceeded with considering issues as per the business of the day.
On Nobel Peace Prize for Oleh Sentsov
--Draft resolution No.9040
There has been taken the resolution on sending a parliamentary statement of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the Norwegian Nobel Committee regarding nomination of Oleh Sentsov for the Nobel Peace Prize. The document in tote was approved by 245 ayes.
On more independence guarantees for court experts and proper provision of forensic activities
--Draft bill No.8336
On the first reading, there has been adopted the draft bill “On amendments to certain legislative enactments of Ukraine as to reinforcing independence guarantees for court experts and proper provision of forensic activities”.
The bill proposes to strengthen guarantees of independence of a court expert and proper provision of forensic and expert activities, as well as to renew the possibility to call for expert evidence in criminal proceedings by pre-trial investigation agencies independently. The bill, in particular, puts forward the following alterations:
- to establish criminal liability for meddling in a court expert’s work aiming to hinder his forensic activities, as well as responsibility for deliberate destruction or damage of property belonging to a court expert;
- to amend the Code of Criminal Procedure aiming to provide for the possibility of conducting interrogations of an expert only at the stage of judicial proceedings, as well as introducing the possibility for an investigator or a prosecutor to receive explanations to experts' conclusions in writing,
- to provide the opportunity for the parties to criminal proceedings to independently involve experts, with some exceptions,
- to launch a unified state forensic inquiry register by changing the law of Ukraine “On forensic inquiry activities”,
- to cancel expert’s responsibility for malicious evasion from appearance at pre-trial investigation agencies
On better documenting abuses of businessmen’s rights
--Draft bill No.7373
On the first reading, there has been adopted the draft bill “On amendments to the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses as to strengthening protection of economic entities against misconduct or inactivity of regulatory authorities”.
The bill offers to refine arrangements for documenting infringements of businessmen’s rights and related responsibility (including prescribing exact penalties applicable) of regulatory authorities’ officials. The law also proposes to introduce the following amendments to the above code:
- a redrafted Article 166-10 with a stricter list of law infringements against the permissive system in business operations,
- article 221 is set to enable regional, district, municipal courts to examine cases of administrative offences specified by parts 5-13 of the Article 166-10 of the code,
- the code is to be supplemented with a new Article 244-22 entitling the central executive body in charge of implementing the state regulatory policy, oversight policy in business operations, licensing and permissive system in business operations and deregulation of economic activity, to examine cases of administrative offences specified by parts 1-4 of the Article 166-10 of the said code,
- in the first part of the Article 255 - to expand the list of bodies empowered to make up administrative reports on offences specified in the Article 166-10 of the code.
More safety belts and crash helmets to cut traffic mortality rate
--Draft bill No.8492
On the first reading, there has been taken the draft bill “On amendments to the Article 121 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offences (as to reducing road traffic related deaths and injuries on Ukraine’s roads through a wider use of safety belts and crash helmets)”.
The bill makes a stab at cutting traffic fatalities through a higher fine for belt-n-helmet use infringements. The said fine is thought to jump up to fifty non-taxable minimum incomes against three-fold one now in force.
The said changes are to be introduced into part 5 of the Article 121 of the code mentioned above.
The presiding officer closed the meeting.