The European Commission has expressed serious concern over the decision by the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) to eliminate safeguards protecting the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
This was stated in a post by the European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos on the social media platform X, as reported by Ukrinform.
“Seriously concerned over today’s vote in the Rada. The dismantling of key safeguards protecting NABU’s independence is a serious step back. Independent bodies like NABU and SAPO, are essential for Ukraine’s EU path. Rule of Law remains in the very center of EU accession negotiations,” she noted.
As previously reported by Ukrinform, on July 22 the Verkhovna Rada passed a law which reduces the powers and effectively strips NABU and SAPO of their independence.
The law allows the Prosecutor General to access all NABU cases or grant such access to any other prosecutor; to issue mandatory written instructions to NABU detectives and, in the event of non-compliance, change the investigative jurisdiction by transferring the case to other agencies; to close investigations at the request of the defense; to independently resolve jurisdictional disputes; to sign suspicions against top officials without consent; and removes the SAPO head’s right to join a team of prosecutors — this is now solely decided by the Prosecutor General.
Anti-corruption agencies emphasized that if this bill is enacted, the head of SAPO would become a nominal figure, and NABU would lose its independence and become a subdivision of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
NABU Director Semen Kryvonos has urged the President not to sign the law.
Photo credit: eumetsat.int
Source: European Commission: Dismantling key guarantees of NABU's independence serious step back
