MPs Outraged Over Controversial Appointment of Sal as Advisor to "Forests of Ukraine"

Criticism of Oleh Sal's Appointment

According to Главком: The decision to appoint Oleh Sal as an advisor to the head of the state enterprise Forests of Ukraine has drawn sharp condemnation from lawmakers Olha Vasylevska-Smahliuk and Oleksii Honcharenko. Vasylevska-Smahliuk expressed her shock, noting that this appointment caught her off guard. She also highlighted a previous appointment within the same enterprise-a deputy director general who had been implicated in a criminal case related to illicit enrichment. Honcharenko, meanwhile, brought up the earlier scandal involving the executive director’s salary, which reached nearly 19 million Ukrainian hryvnias per year.

Sal previously served as head of the Lviv Regional State Administration under President Viktor Yanukovych. He also holds the rank of major general in the police and once led the regional Interior Ministry office in Lviv. During the 2004 Orange Revolution, he faced accusations of power abuse and harassment of activists. Vasylevska-Smahliuk has asked Minister Oleksii Soboliev to explain the personnel decisions that led to Sal’s appointment.

Questions About Personnel Decisions

“After the scandal where the executive director was earning nearly 19 million hryvnias a year, now they’ve decided to surprise us even more.” - Oleksii Honcharenko

Honcharenko raised questions about the new appointments, wondering how Sal could become an advisor and who authorized this individual to influence the management of one of the country’s largest state-owned companies.

It is worth noting that in late May, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted Resolution No. 692, which revises the criteria for designating enterprises as critically important. Under this resolution, the average salary required to maintain such a status must be at least 25,941 hryvnias, while for businesses in frontline areas, the threshold is set at 21,618 hryvnias.

These personnel changes at Forests of Ukraine have sparked questions and outrage among MPs, who believe such appointments could harm the governance of state enterprises. The lawmakers’ frustration also points to potential shortcomings in the transparency of government staffing decisions, which may erode public trust in state institutions.