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The Business Ombudsman Council provides recommendations to state bodies on the basis of individual cases and in accordance with published systemic reports. Here we have collected information on the implementation status of systemic recommendations only.

Report name
Issued recommendations
Execution status

Systemic report "Abuse of powers by the law enforcement authorities in their relations with business"

To amend Section 2.5 of the Methodological Recommendations Regarding Procedure of Cooperation between Divisions of the State Fiscal Service while organizing, carrying out and implementing materials of audit of taxpayers, approved by the Order of the SFS of Ukraine No.22, dated 31 July 2014, to ensure that materials of tax audit can be transferred to the investigatory units for financial investigations (i.e., tax police) only after final acknowledgement of the tax liability under the framework of administrative and/or judicial procedure (in case taxpayer sought judicial assistance - from the date when court decision entered into force).

State Tax Service of Ukraine

Implemented
— comments: The BOC's recommendation has been implemented via adoption of the SFS' Order dated 18 July 2016 No.633 "On amending the SFS's order dated 31 July 2014 No.22"

To amend legislation to increase the threshold amount of actual sums due to be paid to the budget (arising from the unpaid taxes, levies and unified social tax), triggering treatment of such action at the part of taxpayer as criminal offence.

Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine

Implemented
— comments: On 18 September 2019, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the Law "On Amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine and the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine on Reducing Pressure on Business". The law decriminalizes fictitious entrepreneurship (provided for in Article 205 of the CC) and raises the thresholds for bringing individuals to justice under Article 212 of the CC. The threshold for criminal proceeding initiation increased from 960 500 UAH to 2 881 500 UAH.
To amend Article 214 of the CPCU to impose a duty on investigator/prosecutor to notify an applicant about their receipt of application or notification about committed criminal offence, registration of the respective data with the URPTI and commencement of pretrial investigation based on such application/notification.

Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine

Implemented
— comments: The BOC's recommendation has been implemented via adoption the Law of Ukraine "On amending certain laws regarding enforcement of the rights of the parties to the criminal proceeding and other persons by the law enforcement authorities during the pre-trial investigation" dated 16 November 2017 No.2213-VIII.
To amend Article 219 of the CPCU to prescribe maximum time limits for conducting pre-trial investigation of criminal proceedings until suspicion notice is furnished to a person. Such time limits could be extended subject to consent of the superior prosecutor. Currently, time limits for conducting pre-trial investigations are foreseen by the CPCU only starting from the day when a person is furnished with a suspicion notice.

Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine

Implemented
— comments: The BOC's recommendation has been implemented via adoption the Law of Ukraine dated 03 October 2017 No.2147-VIII.
To amend Article 308 of the CPCU to enable third parties, whose rights are being restricted and/or violated in course of the pre-trial investigation (in whose relation a pre-trial investigation is taking place) with the right to challenge failure to observe reasonable time limits to the superior prosecutor. Currently only suspected person, accused person and victim are vested with such right.

Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine

Implemented
— comments: The BOC's recommendation has been implemented by adopting the Law of Ukraine "On amending certain laws to ensure enforcement of the rights of the parties to the criminal proceeding and other persons by the law enforcement authorities during the pre-trial investigation" dated 16 November 2017 No.2213-VIII.
The CPCU shall be comprehensively amended to provide for a special procedure of seizure of digital data, which, inter alia, would not contemplate seizure of computer hardware and would allow avoiding stoppage in the work of businesses due to seizure of servers. Hence, in the Council's view, it is appropriate to introduce respective amendments to the Chapter 20 ("Investigatory actions") of the CPCU.

Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine

Implemented
— comments: The BOC's recommendation has been implemented via adoption of the Law of Ukraine "On amending certain laws to ensure enforcement of the rights of the parties to the criminal proceeding and other persons by the law enforcement authorities during the pre-trial investigation" dated 16 November 2017 No.2213-VIII (Article 168 of the CPCU).
To consider amending Article 236 of the CPCU to introduce mandatory video recording of such investigatory action as search. In the Council's view, it might be appropriate to provide that such video recording shall commence when the manager of the entity is furnished with the resolution issued by an investigatory judge sanctioning such search and shall last until he/she is provided with the copy of the protocol of search. It is also worth providing that only that evidence, whose collection was video recorded, is admissible.

Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine

Implemented
— comments: The BOC's recommendation has been implemented via adoption of the Law of Ukraine "On amending certain laws to ensure enforcement of the rights of the parties to the criminal proceeding and other persons by the law enforcement authorities during the pre-trial investigation" dated 16 November 2017 No.2213-VIII (Article 104 of the CPCU).
To improve mechanism of personal liability of employees of law enforcement agencies for violations committed while carrying out investigatory actions. In particular, in addition to the existing Disciplinary Charters (Codes) of the Public Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine and Draft Law of Ukraine "On Disciplinary Charter of the National Police", both of which represent internal institutional mechanisms, to consider the opportunity of involving NGOs to the work of such disciplinary commissions.

Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine

Implemented
— comments: The BOC's recommendation has been implemented via adoption of the Law of Ukraine "On amending certain laws to ensure enforcement of the rights of the parties to the criminal proceeding and other persons by the law enforcement authorities during the pre-trial investigation" dated 16 November 2017 No.2213-VIII.