Ukraine’s anti-corruption infrastructure will work free from Russian influence, and it must be cleared of such interference.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in an address shared on his Telegram channel, Ukrinform reports.
“I spoke with NABU Director Semen Kryvonos, SAPO Prosecutor Oleksandr Klymenko, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, and Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk. We discussed various challenges, all of them. The anti-corruption infrastructure will work, only without Russian influence – it needs to be cleared of that. And there should be more justice,” Zelensky said.
He stressed that both the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) will continue to operate. He also added that it is important that the prosecutor general is determined to make sure that in Ukraine the inevitability of punishment for those who go against the law is actually ensured. “This is what Ukraine really needs,” Zelensky added.
Long-stalled investigations must move forward, he said.
“For years, officials who have fled Ukraine have been casually living abroad for some reason – in very nice countries and without legal consequences – and this is not normal. There is no rational explanation for why criminal proceedings worth billions have been ‘hanging’ for years. And there is no explanation why the Russians can still get the information they need,” Zelensky said.
“Important is – without Russians. Important is – to have an inevitability of punishment and that society really sees,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky earlier signed a law that effectively strips NABU and SAPO of their independence.
Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine
Source: Anti-corruption infrastructure will work without Russian influence – Zelensky
