On December 10, the Financial Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine held a meeting via videoconference. The discussion was joined by the head of the Commission on the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries, ATO veteran Ivan Rudy. People's Deputy Alexander Dubinsky had many questions to the head of the regulator, in particular, what was he guided by when submitting his candidacy for the post. Ivan Rudy explained: the whole point is in his system of values and spotless reputation.
“I am a veteran and I have a clearly formed system of values and a clear civic position that some bodies should be headed by people with the same value system as mine. I believe that a person who gave his health for the defense of Ukraine has the right to join the processes of its state formation. The commission is potentially viewed as the most corrupt body, so I understand that it should be headed by a person with an unsurpassed reputation and moral qualities, without shadows in his past,” said Ivan Rudy.
Also, the head of the Gambling Regulatory Commission spoke in more detail about his education and work experience. Indeed, many members of the committee had questions about whether his qualifications were suitable for the position of head of the regulator.
“I am a diplomat-political scientist-translator by education. This education belongs to the field of public administration and passes according to the criteria and requirements for the position. Work experience 8 years and 2 months according to the work book and military ID. I passed military service in management positions and served in the ATO for two years in a management position. Article 2 of the Law of Ukraine on general military duty and military service and Article 8 of the Law of Ukraine on social and legal protection of military personnel provide that the time spent in military service is counted towards the total length of service, length of service in the specialty, as well as the length of the public service,” said Ivan Rudy.
Before serving in the ATO, Ivan Rudy worked on television in the field of television project management on the STB TV channel, and later - LLC "Starlight Rozvagi". At the same time, Rudy said that he understands: he did not win the competition for the position, but was recruited. Therefore, when the quarantine ends, he is ready to go to the competition and try to win it again.
“It took 20 days from the moment of my appointment to the first meeting. Within 20 days, all documents were submitted to the State Treasury Service of Ukraine, all accounts were opened, digital stamps, signatures were issued, the budget for the next year was submitted,” says Ivan Rudy.
The head of the commission explains that almost all expenses are salaries. He says he asked for about 80 million hryvnas for salaries and 70 million hryvnas for a comprehensive information system. The digital development ministry has warned the numbers are too small. But, according to Rudy, the commission fits the budget.
The head of the commission said that the licensing conditions for operators of the gambling market have already been practically agreed. The regulator has big ambitions to implement and launch the commission and issue licenses this year. After all, the Ministry of Finance ordered the commission to receive more than 7 billion hryvnas from licenses in 2021.
People's Deputy Alexander Dubinsky was interested in the details of the work experience of Ivan Rudy. The head of the commission explained that the work of a line producer means the administration of the filming process, the organization of work between departments, planning, and logistics. Ivan Rudy noted that at some points in his subordination there were up to 40 people. But Alexander Dubinsky was not convinced. The People's Deputy noted that Rudy came "not to the position of an economic manager, but to the position of a member of the regulator, where the main thing is regulation, not planning."
Ivan Rudy noted that during his service in 2014 he had no experience, but at the same time he led a platoon of 40 people. And “no one was surprised by this and no one took away from me the right to fulfill my duties to protect Ukraine. All my subordinates returned home, I did an excellent job." At the same time, Rudy noted that he did not understand what kind of experience in the gambling business Alexander Dubinsky was appealing to, if in Ukraine since 2009 the gambling business was outlawed. And, according to Ivan Rudy, he would "gladly meet a person who has experience in regulating gambling and lotteries."
Alexander Dubinsky noted that Ivan Rudy's words about clear ideals do not coincide with the fact that the head of the commission voted to include Boris Baum, who headed the Russia Today TV channel, into the expert council. This accusation was answered by Baum himself, who said that he worked for the RTVI TV channel, which allegedly does not have Russian funding. At the same time, Ivan Rudy himself said that he did not remember exactly when he met Boris Baum.
The members of the committee were also interested in how exactly the interview between Ivan Rudy and Minister Oleg Nemchinov took place. The head of the commission said that he applied for the recruitment, then passed a 15-minute online interview, and then he was immediately recommended to sign a contract.
Ivan Rudy answered the question of how much he earns. The head of the Commission said that he receives about 63 thousand hryvnas with allowances. At the same time, Rudy said that this is a rather low salary compared to other regulators.
The members of the financial committee also had questions to Minister Oleg Nemchinov, who interviewed Ivan Rudy. Nemchinov said that he conducted 39 interviews, and Rudy was the best candidate. During the interview, he asked questions about the knowledge of general and anti-corruption legislation and civil service. Nemchinov said if Ivan Rudy had not passed the prequalification in terms of education or experience, he would not have gotten to the interview. And he also noted that at the end of the quarantine, a competition will be held again for the post of head of the commission on regulation of gambling.
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