EU accuses Prosecutor’s General Office of undermining operation of Ukrainian anti-Corruption Bureau
On Tuesday evening, the European External Action Service (EEAS) distributed a statement signed by press secretary Maya Kosyanchich on the state of the fight against corruption in Ukraine. The document was published on the official EEAS website.
In this statement, for the first time, the EU sided with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) in the conflict between Ukraine’s law enforcement structures, and blamed the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine (GPU) for exacerbating the conflict.
“The discovery of information on the investigation of facts of corruption on the part of the GPU significantly weakens the NABU’s ability to carry out effective investigations, and undermines people’s faith in the possibility of effectively opposing corruption,” the EEAS press secretary’s statement reads.
Brussels said that the fight against corruption remains a “key element of the development of relations between Ukraine and the EU,” and noted that the success of all other reforms depends on the effectiveness of the anti-corruption components.
The EU called on Ukraine’s authorities to “increase their efforts to ensure the independence, ability to operate, and effectiveness of the anti-corruption institutes.” “The operation of these organs needs to be reinforced, not undermined,” the EEAS reprimanded.