Ukrainian Parliament passes bill to restore independence of key anti-corruption agencies
In a significant move, Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada has passed a presidential bill, No. 13533, aimed at restoring the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP). The legislation was supported by 331 members of parliament.
The new law ensures the procedural independence of SAP's leadership from the General Prosecutor’s Office, clarifies the powers, and sets the reporting line of NABU's detectives. Specifically, detectives are mandated to follow directions exclusively from SAP prosecutors, while their operational and technical activities occur upon the directives of NABU detectives or SAP prosecutors.
According to the new provisions, the SAP prosecutor, rather than the general prosecutor, is authorized to delegate criminal investigations to NABU detectives. The law also reinstates a provision allowing the NABU director, in coordination with SAP, to assign detectives to investigate cases previously under the jurisdiction of other bodies without requiring the general prosecutor's approval.
The legislation is a direct response to previous changes on July 22, when the Rada approved bill No. 12414, broadening the general prosecutor’s powers. The earlier law allowed the general prosecutor to oversee SAP, direct NABU, and reassign cases to other bodies—a move promptly signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
On July 23, amid widespread protests and concerns from international partners, President Zelensky committed to introducing a new bill ensuring "the strength of the law enforcement system and the absence of Russian interference in law enforcement activities."
On July 24, European Union officials conveyed through diplomatic channels to Ukraine's new Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko's government that they would suspend all financial aid to Kyiv until the independence of these bodies is restored.
Massive protests continued daily across Kyiv and other cities starting on July 22. On the first day, over 5,800 people gathered near the Ivan Franko Theater, followed by more than 9,500 participants on the second day and over 4,100 on the third. The protests continued throughout the month.
Another demonstration in support of NABU and SAP's independence took place on July 31 in Mariinsky Park near the parliamentary building.