Zhelezniak on SBI reboot: President Zelenskyy is building his vertical, but without Yermak
Preparing a presidential version of the bill to improve the work of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) is a preemptive move.
MP from Holos Yaroslav Zhelezniak said this, according to a Censor.NET report.
Changing the SBI head
Zhelezniak is one of the authors of the bill aimed at improving the SBI’s work. It provides for a reboot of the structure and changes to the procedure for appointing its head to eliminate a contradiction with the Constitution. The document was registered in the Verkhovna Rada back in August last year, but has still not been considered in the plenary hall.
In his view, preparing a presidential version of the bill is a preemptive move.
"I will give my interpretation and version of this initiative, which I would like to have confirmed by someone else as well. It seems to me that, more or less, I understand it correctly. The president really can summon Sukhachov at any moment and say: "You are no longer the head of the SBI, but an ambassador to some country. Someone else has been appointed in your place." This entire personnel change would take, roughly speaking, three seconds. So, obviously, there is some kind of game being played. I think he has the same signals as I do that this will be a demand from the Europeans," Zhelezniak explained.
The lawmaker explains that to replace the SBI head, a competitive selection process must be held, which will require relevant standards.
Why the change now
"So, accordingly, the president is simply making a preemptive move with this story. Take note: Zelenskyy keeps all those who are loyal to him and replaces the rest. What is the attitude toward the SBI? They say he was dissatisfied with their work on "Mindichgate" and with how they countered it.
What is happening overall now? The president is simply building his vertical already without Yermak. So, accordingly, the system is being reshaped. But this is not about the country being put on a "war footing." It’s just that we have been stuck in the electoral cycle longer than necessary. Overall, it is simply meant to keep the country governed somehow while there are no elections. When they happen, it will be a completely different system," Zhelezniak added.
- Earlier, it was reported that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed officials to prepare proposals to обновити the State Bureau of Investigation and expects the presidential bill to be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada as early as this month.
