Ukraine's anti‑corruption agencies say new bill threatens their independence

Jul 22, 2025 - 07:02

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) believe that draft law No. 12414, which was supported by the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) committee, will effectively destroy the independence of the SAPO and subordinate the activities of the NABU and the SAPO to the Prosecutor General's Office.

Source: NABU and SAPO statement on draft law No. 12414

Quote: "In fact, if this draft law is adopted, the head of the SAPO will become a nominal figure, and the NABU will lose its independence and become a subdivision of the Prosecutor General's Office.

Ukraine's anti-corruption infrastructure, being built since 2015 together with international partners, will be destroyed.

We call on MPs to abstain from voting, which could finally destroy the independence of the anti-corruption system in Ukraine."

Details: In particular, the agencies noted that the draft law provides that:

the prosecutor general has access to all NABU cases or may grant such access to any other prosecutor;
has the right to give mandatory written instructions to NABU detectives and, in case of non-compliance, to change the jurisdiction by transferring the case to other bodies;
may close the investigation at the request of the defence;
resolves disputes over jurisdiction;
independently signs suspicions to top officials;
the head of the SAPO loses the right to be a member of the group of prosecutors – this is decided only by the prosecutor general.

Background:

The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Law Enforcement supported amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) that would make the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) dependent on the decisions of the Prosecutor General. Currently, these are independent anti-corruption institutions.
On 21 July, employees of the Security Service of Ukraine and the Prosecutor General's Office conducted approximately 80 searches of 19 employees of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau in various oblasts of Ukraine.
The security forces did not have court warrants to conduct the searches, but they do not consider this a violation of the law since obtaining such warrants could "cause information leaks" and "harm the conduct of special operations".
NABU detectives are charged with treason, illegal trade with Russia, and corruption in the interests of oligarchs. Meanwhile, the State Bureau of Investigations has stepped up its efforts with materials on a traffic accident several years ago involving NABU employees.
Representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine and the Office of the Prosecutor General are also checking the state of state secrecy protection in the SAPO. The check concerns NABU employees with access to state secrets and conducting covert investigative actions.

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