Controversial bill to weaken Ukraine’s anti-corruption units now on Zelenskyy’s desk
Photo: Draft law 12414 on NABU and SAPO was submitted to the president for signature (Getty Images)
Today, on July 22, the Verkhovna Rada passed draft law No. 12414 on restricting the rights of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO). It was also signed by Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk. Thus, the bill has been submitted to the President for signature.
After discussions in the parliament and attempts by some MPs to block the rostrum to prevent its adoption, the bill was supported in the session hall, with 263 MPs supporting it.
Draft law on limiting the powers of the NABU and the SAPO submitted to the President for signature
The draft law provides for the following innovations:
- Prosecutor General is granted access to all NABU proceedings
- Prosecutor General will have the right to give binding instructions to detectives and change the jurisdiction of cases
- Prosecutor General will be authorized to close proceedings based on a motion by the defense
- Prosecutor General will be able to personally sign notices of suspicion to high-ranking officials
- The head of the SAPO loses the right to be part of the group of prosecutors - this will be decided only by the Prosecutor General.
Limitation of powers of NABU and SAPO
Before the Rada considered draft law No. 12414, anti-corruption agencies issued a statement urging MPs not to support the initiative.
The adoption of the law came after the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) came to the SAPO to check compliance with the law on state secrets. In addition, large-scale searches of NABU detectives were conducted to neutralize Russian influence.
The European Union has expressed concern about the recent actions of the authorities against NABU and SAPO. A spokesperson for the European Commission said that the EU provides significant financial assistance to Ukraine, subject to progress in transparency, judicial reform, and democratic governance.
