Ukrainian MP: Prime Minister Groysman on warpath with Poroshenko
Ukrainian MP Mustafa Nayyem wrote on his Facebook page that President Petro Poroshenko may see a new stage in the fight against contraband schemes at the federal customs office, announced earlier by Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, as a “declaration of war”.
He noted that since the Cabinet of Ministers has provided the National Police with the right to round-the-clock access to customs control zones at checkpoints across the state border, contraband in the country will be monitored or prevented not just by the presidency, but also by the Cabinet.
"The Prosecutor General has already spoken out against this initiative. At the conference call alone, Yuriy Lutsenko said that representatives of the National Police admitted to customs posts will not have any authority, as this contradicts the customs code. Only there is one nuance that the Prosecutor General forgot to clarify: under the customs code, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the SBU have absolutely equal rights, roles and functions to control and prevent smuggling," Nayyem wrote.
The MP also noted that Groysman, who is trying to counter smuggling, has not yet appointed a head of the customs service during his premiership, saying that "the appointment of a regular leader is a much more effective way to combat smuggling than games by law enforcement agencies."
Additionally, according to Nayyem, the government's decision may put the SBU Chief Vasyl Hrytsak and Interior Minister Areen Avakov against each other.