Ukraine Parliament Reinstates Anticorruption Agencies Following Protests
Following massive public protests and international pressure, Ukraine's parliament has voted to restore the independence of its key anticorruption agencies, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO).
The decision reverses a controversial law passed just days earlier that had placed these agencies under the control of the prosecutor general, an ally of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy [1][2][3]. Many feared this move would undermine their effectiveness and fuel corruption.
The background of this legislative change involves a prior law that threatened the agencies' independence, sparking the largest protests since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians rallied, demanding restoration of the agencies' autonomy as a vital check on corruption [1][2].
International partners, including the European Union, strongly urged Ukraine to maintain independent anti-corruption bodies, linking this to Kyiv's ongoing EU accession ambitions. The EU worried that weakening these agencies would represent a serious regression in reform and the rule of law [3].
The implications of restoring their independence are significant:
- It aims to ensure these bodies can operate without political interference, which is crucial given that corruption has long been a systemic issue in Ukraine and a vulnerability that undermines governance and public trust.
- The move stabilizes domestic political tensions triggered by the prior law and aligns Ukraine with the expectations of its Western allies and integration partners.
- By reinforcing these agencies' functions, Ukraine enhances its anti-corruption framework, vital for securing international support and continuing reforms amid ongoing Russian aggression.
President Zelenskyy framed the law as necessary to eliminate Russian influence that made these agencies vulnerable to corruption, affirming its role in guaranteeing their "normal, independent work" [1][3]. The unanimous parliamentary vote (331 of 450 deputies) reflects strong consensus in favor of reform despite prior setbacks [1][2][3].
Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian president's office, wrote on social media that "everyone is a winner, but first and foremost, democratic Ukraine is the winner." The decision to restore the independence of the anticorruption agencies came after amendments were pushed through parliament on July 22 that gave the president's hand-picked general prosecutor the power to transfer cases away from NABU and SAPO and reassign prosecutors [4].
The night before the initial amendments were passed, there were raids targeting members of the anticorruption agencies [5]. President Zelenskyy submitted the bill to reverse the amendments last week, following pressure from thousands of protesters and top European officials [6].
Opposition MP Yaroslav Yurchyshyn said that Ukrainians had stopped the government "one step from the abyss" of autocracy [7]. Al Jazeera's Charles Stratford described the last couple of weeks as a huge embarrassment to President Zelenskyy and his cabinet due to the initial decision and subsequent reversal [8].
Despite President Zelenskyy signing the bill into law and thanking the MPs via a video message [9], protesters continued to gather even after the announcement that he would roll back the amendments [10]. The amendments led to some of the biggest protests held in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began, with thousands taking to the streets of Kyiv [11].
References:
- BBC News
- The Guardian
- Reuters
- AP News
- Radio Free Europe
- Politico
- CNN
- Al Jazeera
- President Zelenskyy's official website
- ABC News
- Deutsche Welle
- The breaking news about Ukraine's parliament voting to restore the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) is a significant step in Ukraine's policy-and-legislation, largely influenced by public protests and international pressure.
- The policy change aims to mitigate domestic political tensions stemming from a controversial law that threatened the agencies' autonomy, which has been a vital check on corruption in Ukraine's politics and general-news, and could jeopardize ongoing reforms and Ukraine's relationship with Western allies.
