Taras Kachka / Censor
In fact, the meeting was "virtual", some commission members claim.
Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture, Trade Representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka has allegedly rigged a meeting of the Interdepartmental Commission on International Trade, which intended to rule on the inadvisability of initiating an anti-subsidy probe into Russian imports of diesel fuel and LPG.
Commission member, state representative at the Antimonopoly Committee Serhiy Tyshchyk told UNIAN that yesterday, June 22, Kachka delivered draft decisions to commission members for signing, thus bypassing due procedure.
"In fact, the meeting was virtual. Kachka came to us with papers, we put our signatures, and he went on to see other commission members," Tyshchyk said.
Despite the fact that the Interdepartmental Commission on International Trade is a collegial body, Tyshchyk says, commission members got no opportunity to discuss the issues put to a vote and come to a collegial decision.
"Documents were sent to everyone and each member of the commission had an opportunity to study and express their position. We, as the Antimonopoly Committee, expressed our position on each issue. I did not see the final vote result, although I'd like to see it," he said.
At the same time, another commission member, First Deputy Infrastructure Minister Dmytro Abramovych, whose signature was seen under the allegedly falsified document, refused to answer confronting questions.
"I think you should contact Taras Kachka at the Ministry of Economic Development. I'm now visiting a facility in Chornobyl. This happened yesterday, yes. Contact him, the secretariat, to have them tell you how it went," Abramovych said.
At the same time, many commission members contacted by UNIAN for comment said they had not cast their votes.
For example, Deputy Finance Minister Svitlana Vorobei and Deputy State Secretary of the Cabinet of Ministers Volodymyr Fedorchuk said they had not been aware of the meeting.
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"I can't say, I wasn't invited," said Fedorchuk.
"I can't say anything […] I didn't attend the meeting," said Vorobei.
Other commission members refused to answer questions about the meeting and recommended that UNIAN contact the press service, and so did Deputy Economy Minister Kachka, whom UNIAN also requested to comment.
"You know what, address these questions to the press service," Kachka said, answering the question on whether there was a need to falsify the commission's meeting and if he was afraid of responsibility for such unlawful actions.
UNIAN also sent an appropriate inquiry to the Economy Ministry, having received no response so far.
As UNIAN reported earlier, a meeting of the Interdepartmental Commission on International Trade had to be held on June 22 to consider the complaint of PJSC Ukrtatnafta, PJSC Ukrnafta and JSC Ukrgazvydobuvannya on the initiation and conduct of an anti-subsidy probe regarding the import of diesel fuel and LPG from Russia. Also, commission members were to consider a report and conclusions of the Economy Ministry following the anti-subsidy procedure regarding such imports.
According to the draft decision seen by UNIAN, the commission planned to abandon the probe, paving the way for Russian expansion into the Ukrainian fuel market.