Activities of Gunnar BECK related to 2022/2080(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Lessons learnt from the Pandora Papers and other revelations (debate)
Amendments (8)
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky features prominently in the Pandora papers; whereas part of his network of offshore companies is managed by Fidelity Corporate Services, an offshore consultancy that was one of 14 firms whose documents make up part of the Pandora Papers leak, proving that Zelensky and his partners use companies based in the British Virgin Islands, Belize, and Cyprus; whereas two of Zelensky’s associates in the offshore network, were later awarded powerful government positions: Serhiy Shefir asZelensky’s top presidential aide, and Ivan Bakanov as the head of the Security Service of Ukraine;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Is concerned about the European Banking Authority´s (EBA) statement on financial inclusion in the context of the invasion of Ukraine (27 April 2022), clarifying the flexibility of the Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Financing of Terrorism Framework when engaging with refugees from Ukraine, for example, financial institutions can apply simplified customer due diligence in situations where the money laundering/terrorist financing (ML/TF) risk is reduced and do not need to check the prospective customer’s passport to verify their identity, and can instead rely on other documentation, such as evidence that the prospective customer is a refugee from Ukraine; underlines that EBA guidelines 4.40 to 4.44 stipulate that financial institutions should consider relevant risk factors including who their customer is when assessing ML/TF risk, and lists a number of control questions to determine customer risk factors; recalls that money laundering remains a significant problem in Ukraine, and therefore falls under the definition of ‘a country identified by credible sources as having significant levels of corruption or other criminal activity’ of Article 18(3) of Directive (EU) 2015/849, Annex III, (point 3(b)), and that in March 2014, the Council adopted sanctions against 18 Ukrainian persons identified as responsible for the misappropriation of Ukrainian State funds; notes that Ukraine scores a dismal 33 on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index; asks therefore the EBA to review it flexibility of the AML/FT framework when engaging with Ukrainian citizens;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Is deeply disappointed by the failure of finance ministers to adopt the much-needed reform of the Code of Conduct for Business Taxation on 7 December 2021, after several unsuccessful attempts; condemnsregrets that Hungary and Estonia, in particular, for blocking the reform have used their right to veto; stays however committed to the principle of unanimity in the Council;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Underlines that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky features prominently in the Pandora Papers; recalls that he ran his own network of offshore companies, via his television production company Kvartal 95, such as the British Virgin Islands-registered Maltex Multicapital Corporation, and keeps paying dividends to a company that belongs to Olena Zelenska; calls on the Council and the Commission to suspend all payments to Ukraine, until a thorough investigation in the Ukrainian president´s offshore companies is concluded, and all ties between these companies and the president and his family and close associates have been severed;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18 b. Underlines that according to the Pandora Papers, the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and his television production partners were beneficiaries of a web of offshore firms that received 41 million USD in funds from oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky, who is accused of stealing 5.5 billion USD from his own bank and funneling it offshore; calls on the Council and the Commission to suspend all payments to Ukraine until the offshore constructions are properly mapped by European and international authorities, and the offshored money is brought back to Europe, where it can be fairly taxed;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 c (new)
Paragraph 18 c (new)
18 c. Recalls that in June 2022, a decree passed in the Ukrainian parliament implementing the anti-oligarch law signed by president Volodymyr Zelensky, introducing a legal definition of an oligarch,requiring officials to declare contacts with oligarchs, banning oligarchs from financing political parties, political ads, or demonstrations, and excluding them from the privatization of state assets; calls on the European Commission and the Council to make use of the national register of Ukrainian oligarchs to scrutinize the use of EU funds;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 d (new)
Paragraph 18 d (new)
18 d. Recalls that Ilham Aliyev, president of Azerbaijan, features prominently in the Pandora Papers; recalls that on 13 September 2022, Azerbaijan renewed hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave and that to date, 135 Armenian soldiers have been killed; recalls that during his time in office, scores of local civil society activists have faced persecution while the country’s freedom scores have deteriorated with each presidential term; regrets therefore the decision of the European Commission of 18 July 2022, to agree with Aliyev on a strategic partnership in the field of energy, which will pour billions in the coffers of the regime in Baku;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 e (new)
Paragraph 18 e (new)
18 e. Regrets that several heads of state and heads of government feature prominently in the Pandora Papers; including presidents of EU member states who receive generous shares of the NGEU support package such as president Nicos Anastasiades of Cyprus, and heads of state and government of third countries who receive generous amounts of development aid, such as Lalla Hasnaa, Princess of Morocco, Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of the Congo, and many others; calls on the Commission to freeze any aid to countries where top ranking officials feature in the Pandora Papers;