The commission has selected two finalists for the position of customs chief
On March 27, the selection committee for the position of head of the State Customs Service selected two winners of the competition—Ruslan Damentsev and Orest Mandziy. Both candidates are former employees of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).
This was reported to Interfax-Ukraine by the head of the selection committee, Mikura Kunyo.
Following the vote, the commission will submit their candidacies to the Ministry of Finance for review, after which the proposal will be submitted to the government. Commission Chairman Kunio Mikura noted that bringing in experienced anti-corruption fighters is the first step in the reform, as integrity is currently a priority for customs.
It took seven rounds of voting to determine the finalists. In total, there were 42 applications at the start of the competition, of which 15 candidates advanced to the interview stage. During the selection process, analysts from the IDLO secretariat and anti-corruption agencies vetted the assets and personal history of each candidate. Kunio Mikura emphasized the complete absence of political pressure or interference from the government, business, or the international community during the commission’s work. In the final stage, the selection was made from among three candidates, taking into account their management experience and strategic vision for implementing the State Customs Service reform.
NABU and SAPO notified the former deputy head of the Kyiv Customs Office of suspicion of laundering property obtained by criminal means.
NABU detectives, under the procedural guidance of SAPO prosecutors, conducted searches at the “Lutsk” customs post of the Volyn Customs Office and at other properties used by officials of the unit.
