Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) investigates potential abuses involving newly appointed Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, concerning her joint foreign flights with Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak during her previous tenure as First Deputy Prime Minister, according to Ukrainian media.
Investigators allege that several flights served no official purpose for Svyrydenko but were instead arranged to facilitate Yermak’s use of the state aviation fleet, for which he reportedly lacked formal authorisation. NABU suggests the state may have suffered financial damage due to these actions.
Sources indicate that if the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s parliament) reinstates NABU’s recently curtailed powers, formal notices of suspicion could be issued to both Svyrydenko and Yermak in this case. In a related development signalling political discord, MP Andriy Kostiuk announced his departure from the ruling “Servant of the People” faction.
Subsequently, the Verkhovna Rada took decisive legislative action. It voted to adopt a draft law proposed by President Volodymyr Zelensky concerning the “independence” of NABU and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). The law received 331 votes. Parliament further voted to urge Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk and President Zelensky to sign the NABU law immediately.
The law’s key provisions include restoring the procedural independence of NABU and SAPO and reinstating all powers revoked by the previous law 12414. It prohibits the Prosecutor General and deputies from issuing binding written instructions to SAPO prosecutors.
Access for the Prosecutor General to NABU cases or the transfer of these cases to other bodies is abolished. The authority to close investigations or determine jurisdiction over suspects’ associates is returned exclusively to the autonomous SAPO and NABU. The ban on transferring NABU cases to other law enforcement agencies is lifted, restoring the bureau’s autonomy.
Zelensky confirmed he signed the law restoring NABU’s powers. He stated that all law enforcement officers with access to state secrets must now undergo checks using a polygraph.
The European Union responded positively. Spokesperson Guillaume Mercier stated that the EU has no plans to freeze funding for Ukraine at this stage, linking this decision directly to the adoption of the law.
Major forestry corruption scheme uncovered
In a separate significant anti-corruption operation, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko announced the exposure of large-scale corruption within the forestry sector. He reported damages estimated at 167 million hryvnias due to illegal logging, nearly 140 million hryvnias in unjustified assets, and over 40 individuals notified of suspicion in recent weeks.
Prosecutors detailed a major case involving employees of the state enterprises Forests of Ukraine and the Forestry Innovation and Analytical Centre (LIAC).
The alleged scheme involved a LIAC employee, upon request from officials at Forests of Ukraine, illicitly altering data within the electronic timber registry, underreporting volumes, downgrading quality, and deleting documents.
More than 10,000 such unauthorised changes were reportedly made between 2021 and 2024. Participants allegedly received over 10 million hryvnias in bribes for such “services.”
