OREANDA-NEWS. February 26, 2016. "The confiscation of US\\$ 1.5 billion of the former regime is being deliberately delayed. It is the duty of the prosecution authorities, anti-corruption agencies, all the Ukrainian authorities and the judiciary, to confiscate it and transfer to the state budget", said Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk at a Government meeting.

He reminded that the previous year at a Government meeting he had demonstrated the media and members of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine a scheme, "how the former regime was plundering funds of the budget, transferred the money to controlled by them offshore companies”: "In the aftermath these offshore companies used to buy for the stolen funds the Ukrainian government bonds, to place them in the Savings Bank and to receive interests from the state budget".

Last year, told the Head of Government, the State Financial Monitoring Service arrested assets worth US\\$1.5 billion, which are now in the Savings Bank: “The scheme involves about 80 offshore companies controlled by the former regime".

Arseniy Yatsenyuk stressed that "there were numerous attempts to lift the arrest through courts so that to steal US\\$ 1.5 billion again".

"It is the duty of the prosecution authorities, anti-corruption agencies, all the Ukrainian authorities and the judiciary, to confiscate it and transfer to the state budget. It’s no need to search, we have already found it. No need to look all around the world - they have been returned to Ukraine and arrested. Throughout the year, I have been receiving piles of letters that this issue is being settled", stressed the Head of Government.

He emphasized that "the procedure of forfeiture of the assets is deliberately delayed": "They think: "the situation is rather unstable, they demand the confiscation, when others come, we’ll agree with them". And these assets worth US\\$1.5 billion will disappear".

The Prime Minister once again emphasized the need to complete the investigation and to carry out a procedure of special confiscation of US 1.5 billion in assets belonging to the former regime.  

Some of these funds have already been planned in the State Budget to finance the Armed Forces, certain part can be transferred by the Government to wide social programs.

"If it is necessary to adopt relevant legislation, just tell us. The People’s Front faction, as always, will vote for such legislation to be enacted," he said.

In his statement at the Government session Minister of Justice of Ukraine Pavlo Petrenko offered to submit for consideration by the Cabinet of Ministers a draft decree on the establishment of the National Agency for the identification, recovery and management of proceeds of corruption and other crimes. He appealed to the Parliament of Ukraine to submit their candidates to form the Competition Commission to select the head of the Agency.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk highlighted that the Agency for the identification, recovery of such assets is crucial to set up: "It is a real tool to access to foreign databases instead of waiting for years for the reply for legal assistance, but efficient activity in recovery of assets, search of real owners and the seizure and confiscation of such assets".