In December, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal instructed the Ministry of Justice and the First Deputy Prime Minister to develop amendments to the law that would provide grounds for depriving certain individuals of state awards. The instruction was given in response to a petition to deprive MP Yuriy Boyko of the title of Hero of Ukraine, which received 25,000 votes on the website of the President of Ukraine.

According to the Head of Government, the Interagency Working Group on sanctions policy, which includes representatives of the Government, the National Agency on Corruption Prevention, the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, the Prosecutor General’s Office, and other bodies, considered the possibility of depriving the MP of this award at two meetings. Following the review, the members of the working group concluded that due to a conflict in the applicable legislation, it was currently impossible to deprive some individuals of the highest state awards.

Therefore, the Prime Minister instructed to develop amendments to the legislation that would remedy the situation. Today, the Government approved the relevant draft law.

“The draft law stipulates that the imposition of sanctions on a person gives grounds for depriving them of state awards. I hope that the draft law will be promptly considered by the MPs of Ukraine,” said Denys Shmyhal.

Also today, the Government instructed the Interagency Working Group on sanctions policy to reconsider the issue of depriving Yuriy Boyko of the title of Hero of Ukraine, to immediately prepare proposals for the imposition of sanctions and submit them to the National Security and Defense Council for consideration simultaneously with the entry into force of the above-mentioned draft law.