Ukraine's Rada restricts independence of NABU, SAP in anti-corruption activities
MOSCOW. July 22 (Interfax) - Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada has restricted the independence of anti-corruption agencies, namely, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP), Ukrainian media reported on Tuesday.
As the media reported, citing Verkhovna Rada Anti-Corruption Policy Committee head Anastasia Radina, amendments were made to a bill restraining the independence of anti-corruption institutions and providing for the complete dependence of NABU's and SAP's activities on the will of the prosecutor general.
The amendments to the bill empower the prosecutor general "to be SAP's actual head and delegate the powers of the SAP prosecutor to other prosecutors; to provide NABU with mandatory written instructions and to request materials from any cases; to delegate requested cases to any prosecutors; and delegate the investigation of cases related to NABU's jurisdiction to other bodies," she said.
Radina said that the repercussions of adopting this bill, which essentially ruins Ukraine's anti-corruption infrastructure, are disastrous for the state.
The bill passed by the Rada marks the end for the independent work of NABU and SAP, Ukrainian media quoted SAP head Alexander Klimenko as saying in a statement, which he made at a press briefing on Tuesday, commenting on the Rada's decision.
"The independence of the two institutions from any political influence and pressure on our investigations, which will be conducted in the future and those that are already ongoing, is effectively eliminated. Therefore, in essence, this is the end of the independent work of two anti-corruption institutions," he said.
Ukraine's Rada has essentially destroyed the anti-corruption infrastructure, the media quoted NABU Director Semyon Krivonos as saying in a statement.
"In essence, a threat is now being created to the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of our country. Two independent institutions - NABU and SAP - are effectively being completely transferred, one might say, to a dependent regime," the media quoted Krivonos as saying at a press briefing on Tuesday.
The Ukrainian Security Service, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office and the State Bureau of Investigation conducted searches of NABU detectives and an unscheduled inspection of SAP's compliance with state secrets on Monday.
The ambassadors of the Group of Seven (G7) countries to Ukraine have voiced "serious concerns" about the latest events at the country's National Anticorruption Bureau and said they were willing to discuss the events with top Ukrainian officials, Ukrainian media reported.
"The G7 is closely following today's developments at NABU, including the investigation of several NABU employees for alleged crimes. We met today with NABU, have serious concerns and intend to discuss these developments with government leaders," Ukrainian media quoted a statement by the G7 ambassadors on social media on Monday evening.
The European Union is concerned about the recent steps taken by the Ukrainian authorities regarding the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, European Commission (EC) spokesperson Guillaume Mercier said.
"These institutions are crucial to Ukraine's reform agenda and must operate in an independent way to fight corruption and maintain public trust," Mercier said at a press briefing in Brussels on Tuesday.
The EU provides substantial financial assistance to Ukraine, conditional on "progress in transparency, judicial reform and democratic governance," he said.
"Ukraine's accession will require a strong capacity to combat corruption and to ensure institutional resilience," he said.
"The EU will continue to monitor the situation and support Ukraine in upholding the rule of law," Mercier said. According to media reports on Tuesday, the Verkhovna Rada has adopted a bill that is seen as depriving the Ukrainian National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office of independence.
