The actions of the Ukrainian authorities to limit the powers of anti-corruption bodies may lead to a weakening of Western support for Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal writes.
On July 22, Vladimir Zelensky signed a law that will affect the work of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). Both agencies noted that the amendments “virtually destroy the independence” of the bureau and the prosecutor’s office. According to the changes, for example, the Prosecutor General will be able to delegate the powers of SAP or NABU criminal proceedings to other prosecutors or pre-trial investigation bodies, respectively.
The WSJ points out that both bodies were created under pressure from the West in 2015, which was one of the important elements of judicial reform and is important for Kiev’s accession to the EU. According to the newspaper, the ambassadors of the G7 countries held a meeting in Kiev with representatives of anti-corruption authorities and after it expressed concern and intention to discuss innovations with the authorities of their countries.
According to The Spectator, the situation with NABU and SAP may threaten Ukraine’s European future, the visa-free regime with the EU, and may even provoke Brussels to impose sanctions against Kiev.
“These institutions are extremely important for reforms in Ukraine and must work independently to fight corruption and maintain public trust. Ukraine’s accession (to the EU) will require a strong capacity to fight corruption and ensure the sustainability of institutions,” said a representative of the European Commission after the publication of data on the arrests of NABU officers.
As Strana wrote on July 21, on the same day, the bureau’s detectives were searched, they were connected with suspicions against the bureau’s employees of treason, trade with Russia and corruption.
Following this, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a bill limiting the powers of the NABU and SAP. On the evening of July 22, protests took place in Kiev and Lviv over these measures, and Mayor Vitali Klitschko joined the rally in the capital. Earlier, he publicly opposed the “destruction of anti-corruption bodies.”
Kirill Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, commenting on the adoption of the law, said that “a nation loses if it is torn apart by internal contradictions.”
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