The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted a draft law aimed at strengthening the powers of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP), which has prompted a positive reaction from European institutions.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Reaction of the European Union to Legislative Changes
European Union Commissioner for Enlargement, Olha Stefanishyna, stated that the decision of the Verkhovna Rada corrected a previous “harmful” vote that undermined the independence of anti-corruption bodies. She emphasized the importance of adopting the new law, which restores key guarantees for NABU and SAP, although, according to her, certain issues remain.
“Today’s law restores key guarantees, but problems remain,” Stefanishyna stated.
The European Union, according to Stefanishyna, supports the aspirations of the Ukrainian citizens for reforms and calls for prioritizing the fight against corruption and upholding fundamental values.
Timeline of Events Surrounding the Draft Law
On July 31, the Verkhovna Rada approved President Volodymyr Zelensky’s draft law aimed at strengthening the powers of NABU and SAP, both in the first reading and in its entirety. This initiative was a response to the previous draft law No. 12414, which, according to experts, limited the independence of anti-corruption bodies. After the adoption of that document, NABU head Semen Kryvonos urged the president to veto the law, but the document was signed.
Such actions sparked a wave of protests in various cities across Ukraine, including Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, and Odesa. The public demanded that the authorities adopt a new draft law that would guarantee the independence of NABU and SAP.
In response to the public outcry, President Volodymyr Zelensky submitted a new draft law No. 13533, which, according to anti-corruption bodies, restores all procedural powers and guarantees the independence of NABU and SAP. Representatives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau expressed a positive assessment of the innovations, emphasizing the importance of these changes for effective anti-corruption efforts.