The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) have stated that the bill submitted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy restores all guarantees of independence for these institutions.
On 22 July, Zelenskyy signed the law curtailing the independence of NABU and the SAPO. Protests in Lviv, Dnipro, and Kyiv have demanded that it be canceled. On 23 July, in response to the rallies, a Ukrainian leader assured that he would offer a new bill guaranteeing full independence of anti-corruption institutions.
“Bill No. 13533, submitted by the President of Ukraine as urgent, restores all procedural powers and guarantees of independence for NABU and SAPO,” the agencies report.
NABU and SAPO participated in drafting the text and are urging the Ukrainian Parliament to adopt the President’s initiative as soon as possible, both in the first reading and as a whole.
“This will help prevent threats to the criminal proceedings investigated by NABU and SAPO,” they emphasize.
The work of Ukraine’s independent anti-corruption bodies is a key requirement for its path to European membership. It also affects the future of Ukraine’s aid, which mostly depends on Ukraine amid US President Donald Trump’s foreign policy. The bloc’s leaders have appealed to Kyiv with questions on the controversial law and urged transparency in reform.
After Zelenskyy decided to respond to the mass rallies and work on the law restoring the activities of NABU and SAPO, the EU viewed such actions positively.
Western trust under threat as Zelenskyy nears signing controversial law that crashes Ukraine’s anti-corruption system
At the same time, European Commission Spokesperson Stefan de Keersmaecker emphasized the need for continued efforts in this direction.