The Committee members examined the draft law No.4645 at a meeting on May 11.
The draft law proposes to amend the Criminal Procedure Code and laws of Ukraine "On the Prosecutor's Office," "On amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine concerning the inevitability of punishment of persons hiding in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine or in the ??anti-terrorist operation zone" and "On the State Bureau of Investigation."
The draft law in particular proposes to amend the Criminal Procedure Code as follows: to supplement Section XI "Transitional Provisions" with Item 20.1, outlining the peculiarities of application of Chapter 24-1 of the Criminal Procedure Code "Specifics of special pre-trial investigation of criminal offences;" to draft Paragraph 2 of Item 1 of Section XI "Transitional Provisions" in the new wording, noting that criminal proceedings concerning investigation of crimes in competence of the State Bureau of Investigation (hereinafter - SBI) if they were launched by investigative bodies of the prosecutor's office, continue being carried out by these investigators, but not longer than two years.
In the Law "On the Prosecutor's Office" it is proposed to clarify the structure of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine; to specify requirements for candidates applying for positions of prosecutors of regional prosecutor's offices, the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine and the Prosecutor General of Ukraine; to postpone until April 15, 2017 the establishment of prosecutor's self-government; to supplement Section XIII "Transitional Provisions" with Item 5-2, in which temporarily, until April 15, 2017, enable the Prosecutor General of Ukraine to appoint prosecutors to administrative posts, envisaged in Items 2-8, and 11, Part 1 of Article 39 of the Law "On the Prosecutor's Office."
Item 2 of Section II "Final Provisions" of the Law of Ukraine "On amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine concerning the inevitability of punishment of persons hiding in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine or in the ??anti-terrorist operation zone" is proposed to declare as void.
In amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On the State Bureau of Investigation" it is proposed to supplement Paragraph 2, Item 4 of Section VI "Final and Transitional Provisions" with a new sentence, reading that criminal proceedings, which were started by investigative bodies of the prosecutor's office before the launching of the State Bureau of Investigation, and are at the stage of pre-trial investigation, continue being investigated till the end of the pre-trial investigation, but no longer than two years.
The draft law proposes to present Part 3 of Article 40 "Appointment of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine" of the Law "On the Prosecutor's Office" in a new wording, having specified that "to the post of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine may be appointed a citizen of Ukraine, having higher education and experience of work in the sphere of law, or experience of work in a legislative and / or law enforcement body of at least five years..."
Following the consideration, the Committee members with 11 votes "in favour," two "against" and two abstained, decided to recommend that the Verkhovna Rada approve the draft law as a basis and in principle.