Ukraine has appointed NABU detective Oleksandr Tsyvinsky as the new head of the Bureau of Economic Security (BEB) on Wednesday after a prolonged delay.
The BEB is responsible for tackling financial crimes such as fraud, tax evasion, smuggling and money laundering. The resignation of its previous director in 2023, following major scandals – including allegations that BEB detectives concealed criminal activity – led to the launch of a new appointment process under revised procedures.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko on Wednesday announced the appointment of Tsyvinsky, a detective with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), after the previous government rejected his appointment in early July despite a positive vote from the commission in June.
“Today, the Government decided to appoint Oleksandr Tsyvinsky as Director of the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine,” Svyrydenko wrote in a Telegram update.
“After the decision of the competition commission, proper checks and passing a polygraph test, there are no reservations about his candidacy,” she added.
The last government cited national security concerns as the reason for Tsyvinsky’s earlier rejection, pointing to Tsyvinsky’s father’s Russian citizenship.
“The government has studied additional materials provided, in particular, by the Security Service of Ukraine [SBU], which relate to national security issues and contain appropriate security assessments... members of the government unanimously decided to apply to the commission for the selection of the director of BEB with a proposal to re-submit no more than two candidates who will meet all the established requirements, including security criteria,” the government said at the time.
The commission later rejected the last government’s proposal to restart the competition and selection process.
In late July, a spokesperson from the European Commission told a local outlet, European Truth, that the BEB chief’s appointment is a key condition for Ukraine’s EU accession talks.
“Kyiv should appoint the director of the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine as soon as possible in accordance with the law on reforming the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine and the current selection and appointment procedures,” the person said.
“This is necessary to advance the reform of the BEB and ensure its independent and effective functioning.”
What is the BEB?
The Bureau of Economic Security, BEB, was created in the spring of 2021 as an anti-corruption watchdog body, one of several new institutions designed to replace former inefficient law enforcement and regulatory structures considered susceptible to corruption.
Its purpose is to counteract economic crimes against the state through the implementation of law enforcement, analytical, economic, informational, and other functions that had previously been the purview of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the tax police.
Initially, the BEB proved unsuccessful – it largely retained old personnel who lacked the necessary qualifications, leading to widespread criticism and inefficiency. As a result, the BEB underwent a major overhaul in 2024, though no new director was appointed during the reboot.