Ukraine limits independence from anti -corruption authorities

Two anti -corruption authorities in Ukraine can no longer work independently in the future. The parliament in Kiev decided on Tuesday a corresponding law, which was later signed by President Wolodymyr Selenskyj. The National Anti-corruption office and the anti-corruption prosecutor are thus subject to the Attorney General, who in turn is appointed by Selenskyj. The EU Commission criticized the step. Corruption and the misuse of funds are a widespread problem in Ukraine.

The head of the national anti -corruption office, Semen Krywonos, warned of the loss of independence from organs to fight corruption. “In fact, two institutes – the national anti -corruption office (NABU) and the specialized anti -corruption attorney (SAP) – were transferred to dependency. We are categorically against it,” said Krywono’s local media in Kiev.

The law endangers the aim of joining Ukraine to the European Union, said Krywonos. In the evening, several hundred especially young people gathered within sight of the presidential seat in Kiev to protest against the law.

In speech choirs they called “shame, shame”, as a reporter from the dpa news agency reported. They demanded a veto of the president against the law. There were also protests in LWIW (Lemberg), Odessa and Dnipro. Critics have long been accusing Selenskyj, increasingly authoritarian tendencies.

Previously, with 263 MPs, a clear majority in parliament voted for a law that, in the opinion of critics of the General Prosecutor’s office, allowed investigations against high -ranking states. In addition, the public prosecutor could decrease the NABU investigation and hand over other organs. NABU and SAP must therefore coordinate their procedures with the public prosecutor.

“Today, the infrastructure for fighting corruption was destroyed with the votes of 263 MPs,” said the head of the national anti -corruption office, Semjon Krywonos. According to the Ukrainian NGO anti-corruption Action Center, the law makes the anti-corruption authorities largely meaningless, since the Attorney General will cease “President Selenskyj’s investigation against all friends”.

A spokesman for the EU Commission said in Brussels that the EU was concerned about Ukraine’s recent measures. NABU and SAP are of crucial importance for the Ukraine reform agenda and would have to work independently to combat corruption.

He also recalled that the EU provides a lot of money “that is made dependent on progress in the areas of transparency, judicial reform and democratic government”. EU extension commissioner Marta Kos emphasized that the rule of law is the focus of the EU accession negotiations.

It was only on Monday that the Ukrainian secret service (SBU) claimed an employee of the anti -corruption office for alleged espionage for Russia. The SBU accused the suspicious, secret information to a security guard of the Ukrainian ex-President Viktor Janukovich, who had fallen in 2014. The Kremlin loyalty Yanukovich lives in Russia today. Previously, the SBU had searched the rooms of the anti -corruption office and the public prosecutor’s office specializing in corruption in Kiev. The EU and G7 ambassadors reacted cautiously.

Ex-Minister President Julia Timoschenko welcomed the adoption of the new law. “For me this is a radiant day in this parliament. For the first time, we convinced ourselves that the colonization of Ukraine is not a panacea for all of our problems,” said Timoschenko from the Parliament stand, as the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported. Critics had always submitted to the organs to fight corruption to be a western intermediate influence on Ukrainian politics.

After the 2014 trial overwestern overthrow, a system of authorities to combat corruption was created in Ukraine, especially with the help of EU and the USA. This should help to combat the notorious bribery in administration and politics. Nevertheless, the Eastern European country of the non -governmental organization Transparency International is one of the most corrupt countries in Europe.

In the Transparency International corruption perception index, Ukraine 2024 landed in 105 out of 180 countries.