On March 27, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine plans to consider in the first reading the bill No. 11533, which will significantly restrict access to real estate information. This can complicate the work of investigative journalists and create risks for housing citizens.
About it reports the Center for Combating Corruption (CPC).
What does the draft law provide for?
The author of the law is the People's Deputy from the "servant of the people" Igor Fris. The document offers:
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During the martial law and the year after its completion, close the accurate location of the real estate.
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Hide the cadastral numbers of land.
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In open registers, only leave information about the country or the administrative center of the object.
In fact, this means that it will not be possible to find out the address of a particular real estate. For example, the registry will state that the apartment is in Kiev, but without detail of the district or street.
Why is it dangerous?
1. The complication of journalists 'work
The bill will close access to officials' real estate data. This will make it impossible to check their declarations, compare the cost of declared apartments with real prices and investigate potential corruption schemes.
2. Risks for real estate buyers
will not be able to check the owner of the apartment or house before buying, which will increase the risk of fraud. People who buy housing for the last or borrowed money can be trapped by scams.
3. The concealment of corruption
criticism of the bill emphasizes that it creates the ideal conditions for concealment of illegal assets of officials. Without open access to the registers, public control will be almost impossible.
What do the authors of the bill say?
The author of the initiative Igor Fris has not yet provided a reasonable explanation of how such restrictions will protect society.
Deputies and scandals with declarations
We will remind that recently the People's Deputy Oleg Dunda (also from the "servant of the people") was in the center of the scandal through his declaration. Its annual income is UAH 658 thousand, which is the usual salary of the People's Deputy, but this is not enough to explain its luxurious assets.
