President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has announced an investigation into the lawfulness of privatization of strategic enterprises and subsoil deposits in the country by individuals.
“Those, who believed that a controlling stake in strategic defense enterprises, in particular Motor Sich, may end up with not the state, but in private hands, and land and subsoil deposits that belong to the people of Ukraine may also be seized, should also receive a fair and legitimate reaction from Ukraine. How did this happen? Again it is a rhetorical question. But the answers will be found by law enforcement agencies, together with the State Service of Geology and Mineral Resources,” Zelensky said in a video message posted on his Facebook page on March 12 evening.
“Citizens should know: how and on what conditions a number of people in Ukraine received certain resources. Those who did it legally have nothing to fear. And to establish this, a most detailed audit will be carried out, the results of which will be presented to society. I am sure that these answers should not be rhetorical, but concrete, exhaustive and well-reasoned – both for citizens and for possible future court cases,” the head of the Ukrainian state said.
At the same time, according to him, the names “do not make any difference.” “One thing is important – are you ready to work legally and transparently or do you want to continue to create monopolies, control the media, influence deputies and other civil servants? The first is welcome. The second ends,” Zelensky stressed.
According to him, what is happening in the country can be described by words “Ukraine fights back.”
“Fights all those who have been dealing blows to it for many years, taking advantage of its weakness, lack of law, order and most importantly – justice … While you and I believed that justice existed, and tried unsuccessfully to find it, some appropriated state resources, subsoil, strategic enterprises, pipelines, and even, as it turned out, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. In a word – everything in sight,” said the president, noting that restoring justice in Ukraine was one of his key promises.
In this context, he also recalled the blocking of assets, property, the cancellation of licenses and permits of enterprises associated with pro-Russian MP of the Opposition Platform – For Life faction Viktor Medvedchuk, as well as the order to return the PrykarpatZakhidTrans oil pipeline into state ownership.
“All this is by no means a complete list of steps taken by the state recently. And not the final list of measures that will be taken by the state in the near future. I emphasize – taken by our state, at our discretion, in accordance with our duty, and not because someone called us,” Zelensky said.
