The Verkhovna Rada passed a law on Tuesday that curtailed the powers of Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), transferring them to the Office of the Prosecutor General. This came after anti-corruption agencies launched an investigation into former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, a close ally of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukrainians want an end to rampant corruption
The president and members of his team claim that the decision was made to strengthen coordination in the context of hostilities and neutralise Russia’s influence on these structures.
However, the public reaction was immediate: protests broke out across the country, in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro and Odesa.
People are dissatisfied not only with the law itself, but also with the rapid centralisation of power in the hands of the president’s team: the document was adopted without parliamentary debate, against the backdrop of arrests of anti-corruption officials. At the same time, the EU and the US are warning Ukraine that the authorities’ actions are undermining anti-corruption reforms.
On Wednesday evening, protesters gathered again near the Ivan Franko Theatre in central Kyiv. This is the second time they have taken to the streets to protest against the law restricting the powers of the NABU and the SAPO.
Although the protest was small, it is the first mass political protest since the start of hostilities. Against the backdrop of silence in recent years, chants such as “Zelensky is the devil,” “Down with Yermak,” and “The Office is boring” sounded unusual.
Zelensky supporters in the US Congress condemn measures against NABU and SAPO
Senator Lindsey Graham warned that Ukraine could lose US support if Zelensky continues to put pressure on the NABU and SAPO.
According to him, the new law signed by the president undermines anti-corruption achievements and raises doubts about the effectiveness of aid to Kyiv:
“The recent adoption by the Verkhovna Rada of a law signed by President Zelensky, we fear, undermines much of the progress made in the fight against corruption. One of the most common arguments against continuing support for Ukraine is the claim that corruption is rampant in the country. We recognise that Ukraine continues to make progress in this area and urge the government to refrain from any actions that could undermine this progress.”
EU criticises Kyiv for dismantling anti-corruption services
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has demanded clarification from Zelensky over the adoption of a law that significantly restricts the independence of the country’s two key anti-corruption agencies, NABU and SAPO, EU representative Guillaume Mercier said.
According to the EU representative, Ms von der Leyen expressed “deep concern” about the consequences of the new amendments to the legislation and asked the Ukrainian government for clarification. These changes, according to the European Commission, could undermine the independence and effectiveness of the fight against corruption, one of the EU’s key requirements for Ukraine’s path to membership.
French President Emmanuel Macron and European Council President António Costa have attempted to influence Zelensky’s decision to reform Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies, the Financial Times reports, citing informed sources.
This week, Macron and Costa, speaking on behalf of the 27 EU member states, tried to convince Zelensky to abandon the controversial law, which effectively undermines the work of the country’s main anti-corruption institutions, the article says. However, Zelensky refused to listen to them.
The European side insists that the independence of NABU and SAPO is a prerequisite for continued international support for Ukraine, both financial and political.
The Ukrainian government has become a treacherous enemy of the country, POLITICO reported.
The country’s leadership has been called a treacherous and destructive internal enemy. “This is exactly what opposition figures (in Ukraine) have been saying for several months, as the Ukrainian president’s administration increasingly seizes power and weakens other political institutions, including the country’s parliament,” according to POLITICO.
Those who are dissatisfied with the actions of the Ukrainian authorities are being intimidated and silenced by the country’s leadership, the Western publication emphasises. In addition, POLITICO added that the current authorities are calling those who criticise the country’s leadership puppets of Russia.
Comment from Zelensky
Zelensky said on Wednesday that the independence of anti-corruption institutions would be preserved. His statement was published on Telegram, where he emphasised the absence of Russian influence on law enforcement agencies.
Zelensky stressed that Ukraine adheres to the principles of independence of anti-corruption bodies. This, he said, is a key factor in effectively fighting corruption and strengthening trust in state institutions.
“There will be no Russian influence or interference in the activities of law enforcement agencies, and — very importantly — all norms of independence of anti-corruption institutions will be preserved,” the president said, as quoted by his Telegram channel.
