ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, PLENARY MEETING OF THE SEVENTH SESSION OF THE VERKHOVNA RADA OF UKRAINE OF THE SIXTH CONVOCATION WAS HELD
Volodymyr Lytvyn, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, opened the morning sitting and reported on the results of work of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine at the plenary meetings on January 12, 2011.
The Deputy Factions expressed their proposals and remarks.
On request of "BYuT-Batkivshchyna" and "Our Ukraine-People´s Self-Defense" factions, a recess was taken to hold consultations and sitting of the Conciliative Council.
After the recess, representative of "BYuT-Batkivshchyna" Serhii Sas reminded that two factions suggested listening to the report of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.
Though, according to S. Sas, today it became known that the report would be delivered by the acting Prosecutor-General instead of the Prosecutor-General of Ukraine himself.
"BYuT-Batkivshchyna" and "Our Ukraine-People´s Self-Defense" factions insisted that the Prosecutor-General delivered the report himself.
The Speaker gave floor to Yevhen Blazhivskyi.
At the beginning of his speech, Ye. Blazhivskyi presented the statistical data on the malfeasance in public offices by law-enforcement agencies.
Ye. Blazhkivskyi stated that preventive measures in the form of commitment were chosen concerning 500 individuals, nearly 2 thousand corruption criminal cases that sustained losses to the state for more than UAH 130 billion were directed to the court with bill of indictment. Most of them was brought to an action subject to materials of Auditing Department, Court of Auditors, independent international auditors.
According to the acting Prosecutor-General, unprejudiced analysis proved that those criminal cases concerned exclusively economic crimes and could not be regarded as political cases and persecution for political beliefs of former dignitaries.
The reporter stated that under the Code of the Criminal Proceedings of Ukraine, all individuals have the right to appeal against the institution of criminal proceedings. Still, only six of them appealed against the procession judgments, in five cases the order of an investigator was found legal.
The Acting Prosecutor-General of Ukraine informed on the prejudicial inquiry in certain criminal cases, namely, in the case against former Minister of Internal Affairs Yurii Lutsenko, in the criminal case regarding former Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko, in case against former Minister of Environmental Protection Hryhorii Filipchuk.
Ye. Blazhkivskyi also replied to the questions of the People´s Deputies of Ukraine.
Representatives of the opposition factions expressed discontent with the received information. They emphasised that representatives of the Prosecution General was asked to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine not to announce the statistical data, but to reply to a single question concerning the preventive measures against the government of Yulia Tymoshenko such as a two-month detention.
Ye. Blazhkivskyi stated that the law enforcement agencies used a preventive measure in the form of detention to one perosns, while recognizance not to leave was chosed in the case of former Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulila Tymoshenko.
The bill on ratification of the Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of the Russian Federation on Cooperation in the Construction of Nuclear Units No. 3 and 4 of Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant was presented by Mykyta Konstantinov, Deputy Minister of Fuel and Energetics.
Taras Chornovil, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, reported on the decision of the Committee to recommend the Verkhovna Rada to ratify the Agreement.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law "On Ratification of the Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of the Russian Federation on Cooperation in the Construction of Nuclear Units No. 3 and 4 of Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant" by 240 votes.
The Committee´s decision regarding the bill on amendments to certain Laws of Ukraine on the reformation of certain branches of agricultural complex was presented by the Chairman of the Sub-Committee of the Committee on Economic Policy Oleksandr Bondar. The bill was rejected.
The Parliamentarians scrutinized several bills in the first reading. In the result of the voting the following bills were rejected: on amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine concerning strenghtening of criminal responsibility for certain crimes against property and person´s immunity; on amendments to certain laws of Ukraine (regarding declaration of income and expenses of high-ranking officials and local self-government bodies officers, and their relatives); on amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine (regarding strengthening of responsibility for malfeasance in public office committed by the high-ranking authorities of state and local self-government bodies).
The bill on amendments to clauses 68 and 39-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (regarding assignment of punishment for an inchoate crime) was forwarded for adjustment.
The bill on amendments to the Law "On the Armed Forces of Ukraine" (regarding appropriate rate of funding) was presented by Ivan Zaets, People´s Deputy of Ukraine.
Chairman of the Committee on National Security and Defense Anatolii Hrytsenko announced the decision of the Committee to recommend the Verkhovna Rada to adopt the bill as a basis.
In the result of the voting the bill was rejected.
The bill on the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory was presented by Andrii Shkil, Ppoeple´s Deputy of Ukraine.
Chairman of the Committee on Culture and Spirituality Volodymyr Yavorivskyi stressed that this institute made a great step on the way of systematization of such a stage in the history of Ukraine as Holodomor (Famine-Genocide).
V. Yavorivskyi emphasised, "Since we speak of destroying the Institute of National memory itself, we decided to draft the bill."
The People´s Deputies expressed different points of view on the matter.
The Verkhovna Rada rejected the bill on the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory.
The following bills were rejected: on amendments to the Law "On the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting " (re lifting of age restriction for the candidates to the office of the Council member and specification of certain principles), and on amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine.
The bill on Supplements to Clause 40 of the Law "On Physical Culture and Sports" (re Insurance of Competitors) was presented by Yevhen Suslov, member of the Committee on Family matters, Youth Policy, Sport and Tourism.
The Verkhovna Rada adopted the bill as a basis by 205 votes.
In the end of the plenary meeting, the People´s Deputies put the draft resolution on celebration of the 170th anniversary of prominent Ukrainian writer, political essayist, historian and public figure Mykhailo Petrovych Drahomanov on the agenda.
The First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Adam Martyniuk adjourned the morning sitting.
The parliamentary hearings ""On Hydrocarbon Production in Ukraine, and Monopoly on this Activity" had been held in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine since 15.00.
The next plenary meeting of the seventh session will be held on Thursday, January 13.