Ukrainian parliament slashes authority of top anti-сorruption agencies
Photo: MPs eliminate independence of anti-corruption bodies (rada.gov.ua)
The Verkhovna Rada has passed a law authorizing the Prosecutor General to interfere in the activities of anti-corruption bodies, according to Ukrainian MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak.
"The Parliament voted in favor of draft law No. 12414 and eliminated all independence of the NABU and the SAPO," he wrote.
According to him, 263 MPs supported the draft law.
The draft law provides for the following provisions:
- 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
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 Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) to check compliance with the law on state secrets. In addition, large-scale searches of National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) detectives were conducted to neutralize Russian influence.
The European Union has expressed concern about the recent actions of the authorities against the NABU and the 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.
NABU and SAPO
These two agencies form an anti-corruption tandem, with NABU conducting investigations and SAPO providing oversight and referring cases to court. Their effective work is a key requirement of Ukraine's Western partners, including the EU and the IMF, as part of their financial and political support.
The NABU is a law enforcement agency that investigates criminal corruption offenses committed by senior government officials (MPs, ministers, judges, etc.).
It is one of the key anti-corruption bodies established after the Revolution of Dignity to fight large-scale corruption in the public sector. It was established in April 2015.
The SAPO is a separate structural unit within the prosecutor's office system that provides procedural guidance in NABU cases, supports prosecution in courts, and ensures supervision over the observance of the law during pre-trial investigations. It was established in September 2015.
