Zelenskyy defends anti-corruption system changes amid protests
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised that Ukraine’s anti-corruption infrastructure will continue to operate after signing a bill affecting the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) into law, according to his evening address.
Zelenskyy said he discussed “various challenges” with NABU Director Semen Kryvonos, SAPO Head Oleksandr Klymenko, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, and SBU Head Vasyl Maliuk.
“The anti-corruption infrastructure will work, but without Russian influences—it must be cleansed of them. There must be more justice. Of course, NABU and SAPO will continue to function,” Zelenskyy stated.
He emphasized that the Prosecutor General is committed to ensuring “the inevitability of punishment for those who break the law.” Zelenskyy stressed that stalled cases must be investigated, noting it is unacceptable that officials who fled Ukraine live comfortably abroad without legal consequences and that Russians still access sensitive information.
“It’s critical to eliminate Russian influence. It’s critical to ensure the inevitability of punishment and for society to see this clearly,” he added.
Background
On Tuesday, Zelenskyy signed bill No. 12414, which limits the independence of NABU and SAPO into law, prompting protests in cities including Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Dnipro, Lutsk, Poltava, and Ternopil, where citizens urged a veto. Kyiv protesters remained active post-signing.
Earlier that day, the Verkhovna Rada passed the bill, originally aimed at amending the Criminal Procedure Code for pre-trial investigations of missing persons under martial law.
According to MP Anastasiya Radina, amendments added to the bill “render SAPO a decorative institution and fully subordinate the activities of NABU and SAPO to the will of the Prosecutor General.”
The bill grants the Prosecutor General the following powers:
- Access to all NABU cases or the ability to grant such access to other prosecutors;
- Authority to issue mandatory written instructions to NABU detectives and reassign cases to other agencies if instructions are not followed;
- Ability to close investigations at the request of the defense;
- Sole authority to resolve disputes over case jurisdiction;
- Exclusive power to sign suspicion notices for top officials;
- Removal of the SAPO head’s right to join groups of prosecutors, with the Prosecutor General making such decisions.
On July 21, the SBU and Prosecutor General’s Office conducted at least 70 searches targeting NABU and SAPO employees, alleging Russian influence, including charges of treason and illicit trade with Russia. NABU stated these actions lacked court warrants.
For more details, see hromadske’s coverage.