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Aleinikov is to help the Rada draw up a low tax, liberal labour law IT park similar to the Hi-Tech Park he helped build near Minsk. The park now has 880 registered companies. Last week, President Zelenskiy signed a decree giving the Rada 90 days to draw up legislation. “The Presidential Decree is public support, the political will for this project to move forward faster,” Fedorov said Friday. “We will create the world's most comfortable economic zone with low taxes, legal employment, high wages. favourable conditions for start-ups and entrepreneurs.”
2.7​ Specialized Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office selection commission nominees draw Western criticism
Ukraine’s parliament voted on September 17 to approve the nominations of seven (out of a total of 11) members of a selection commission that will choose the head of the Specialized Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
SAPO is the enforcement branch of a ​triumvirate that also includes ​the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU)​ that carries out the investigations. There is also an Anti-Corruption Court (ACC) to hear the cases and convict wrong-doers. All three bodies were set up at the insistence of Ukraine’s donors and are entirely independent of the government.
Of the seven SAPO commissioners, four have drawn fierce criticism from Ukraine’s Western-sponsored NGOs, as well as Western officials. The Anti-Corruption Action Centre commented that the four commissioners in question lack integrity and experience in fighting corruption.
Even harsher criticism was offered by Viola von Cramon, a European Parliament member, who tweeted,” Ukraine Government is jeopardizing visa-free with the EU and further tranche of €1.5bn assistance.” A more restrained tone was offered by the E.U. Delegation in Ukraine, which tweeted that both the E.U. and the US “take note” of the decision and highlighted that “the commission needs to embark on a transparent process with candidates' integrity and merits at its core,” adding,” Our further support [of Ukraine] will depend upon it.”
Commenting on the Rada vote, the President’s Office issued a press release calling to “refrain from excessive emotions ... and speculative assessments.” It reminded the public that the previous SAP head Nazar Kholodnytsky – who “passed all the relevant competitive selection procedures for the administrative post, which was then lauded by all the observers,” – was nevertheless “caught” by the National Anticorruption Bureau for doing and saying things that were “considered to be incompatible with his position.”
Recall, the first head of the IMF-required SAPO, Kholodnytsky, resigned on August 21 after a scandalous tenure with anti-corruption accomplishments nonetheless, prompting the search for a new head. Out of the 11 members of the SAPO selection committee, four are appointed by a council of prosecutors and seven by the parliament.
Alexander Paraschiy of Concorde Capital said in a note: “It is worth noting that after the appointment of Kholodnytsky for the position of SAPO head in late
14​ UKRAINE Country Report​ October 2020 ​ ​www.intellinews.com