Restoring power and independence: NABU responds to Zelenskyy’s draft law
Photo: Head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office Oleksandr Klymenko and Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine Semen Kryvonos (Yuliia Akymova, RBC-Ukraine)
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) have called on the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament - ed.) to urgently adopt presidential draft law No. 13533, which was submitted as an urgent initiative, according to NABU’s press service.
In a joint statement, the anti-corruption agencies noted:
"Draft law No. 13533, submitted by the President of Ukraine as urgent, restores all procedural powers and guarantees the independence of NABU and SAPO."
The statement also emphasized that both agencies were involved in drafting the bill.
"NABU and SAPO participated in the preparation of the draft and urge the Verkhovna Rada to adopt the President’s initiative as soon as possible, both in the first reading and as a whole," the institutions said.
NABU stressed that passing this legislation would help prevent threats to the criminal proceedings currently being investigated by NABU and SAPO.
New draft law
Today, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted bill No. 13533 to the Verkhovna Rada, which abolishes the curtailment of the powers of anti-corruption bodies. It also contains a number of innovations.
For more details, read the material by RBC-Ukraine.
What Zelenskyy said about the bill
Yesterday, the President stated that he would propose to the Verkhovna Rada a bill that would strengthen the law enforcement system.
"There will be no Russian influence or interference in the work of law enforcement bodies, and — very importantly — all the provisions ensuring the independence of anti-corruption institutions will be included," the President said.
Later, Member of Parliament Yaroslav Zhelezniak announced that the Verkhovna Rada would convene urgently next week to review the bill on the independence of NABU and SAPO.
According to RBC-Ukraine's sources in parliament, a specific date for the review has not yet been set.
Bill on NABU and SAPO
Last Monday, the Security Service of Ukraine conducted an inspection at the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) to check compliance with state secrets legislation. Around the same time, searches were also carried out at NABU detectives' offices — officially to "neutralize Russian influence."
The very next day, the Verkhovna Rada passed Bill No. 12414, which reduces the powers of NABU and SAPO.
According to the bill:
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The Prosecutor General will have the authority to close criminal proceedings based on a request from the defense;
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The Prosecutor General will be able to sign notices of suspicion for high-ranking officials personally;
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The head of SAPO will lose the right to be included in a group of prosecutors — that decision will be made solely by the Prosecutor General.
On the evening of July 22, Zelenskyy signed the bill into law.
