National Security and Defense Council Denies Involvement in E-Declarations Disarray

The National Security and Defense Council (RNBO) denies its involvement in the disruption of the launch of the e-declaration system in Ukraine, its press-office stated on August 16.

European Pravda reported how the State Service for Special Communication and Information Protection (SSCIP) deliberately scuppered the launch of e-declarations. Its Chief Leonid Yevdochenko is allegedly associated with the RNBO Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov.

"Launching e-declarations is not a part of the mandate of the RBNO or its Secretary, either. The National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAZK) is responsible – an independent body appointed competitively and transparently," the RNBO claims.

"Any suggestion of the political affiliation of NAZK with the President, the Government or the RNBO are a cynical lie," it adds.

It also explains that the SSCIP is in no way subordinated to the RNBO, and Yevdochenko is a ‘honest and impartial top professional.’ According to the RNBO, the decision to refuse the information protection certificate for the e-declaration system was legal rather than political.

"Political pressure and biased media entries cannot replace the need for reliable protection of state databases. It’s nothing more than a technical matter," it summarizes.

The Council also wonders why the development of e-declaration software was entrusted with a little-known private company. It also says that the software had been submitted to the SSCIP for expert assessment with a significant delay which made it impossible to fix drawbacks by August 15.

The RNBO concludes that the customers and developers of e-declaration system ‘did all they could to disrupt the state expert assessment.’ "Instead of cooperating with state experts from the very onset, they organized a campaign to blame them," it highlights.

Finally, the Council also wonders where is the very e-declaration system, underlining that it should consist of sophisticated software, high-power servers, protected communication, management system etc. "Now the entire system is composed of several servers leased by a private company and a part of uncertified software that has nothing to do with NAZK," the RNBO stresses.

The Council offers to task the RNBO Secretary with launching the e-declaration system: "He is the one to ensure a smooth and quality launch."

The system was officially launched on August 15, nonetheless it did not obtain an SSCIP certificate.

As European Pravda informed earlier, the start of the e-declaration system is a prerequisite for the IMF tranche and a visa-free regime with the EU.

Source: Ukrayinska Pravda