After a wave of protests, the Rada will consider the presidential bill that restores the independence of the NABU and the SAPO

After a wave of protests, the Rada will consider the presidential bill that restores the independence of the NABU and the SAPO

On Wednesday, July 31, the Verkhovna Rada plans to vote on bill No. 13533, which restores the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). The initiator of the document was President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

This bill appeared as a reaction to a high-profile scandal caused by the adoption of bill No. 12414, which was supported by members of parliament on July 22 and later signed by the president. The law effectively subordinated NABU and SAPO to the General Prosecutor, which meant the elimination of their independence.

Society reacted immediately: protests against the undermining of the anti-corruption system took place in various cities of Ukraine. Amid public outrage, Zelenskyy submitted a new bill to parliament, which aims to restore the independence of NABU and SAPO.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov told RBC-Ukraine that a large government team, including Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and the Ministry of Justice, worked on the text of the bill. According to Fedorov, the document is balanced and aims to restore trust in the anti-corruption infrastructure.

It should be noted that the European Commission has also expressed a strong position on maintaining the independence of anti-corruption bodies in Ukraine, which is one of the conditions for further progress on the path of European integration.