Ukraine's Rada passes bill restoring independence to anti-corruption agencies
MOSCOW. July 31 (Interfax) - Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada has passed a bill to reinstate independence to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) at a parliamentary session on Thursday, Ukrainian media reported.
In particular, the bill enshrines the procedural independence of the SAP head and prosecutors from the general prosecutor. The bill also stipulates that a NABU detective fulfills instructions only from a SAP prosecutor, and envisions that NABU employees, when carrying out operative and operative-technical activities, perform instructions only from a NABU detective or a SAP prosecutor.
The bill also returns to the SAP prosecutor the right to refer criminal proceedings to NABU detectives, while the general prosecutor loses this right. NABU detectives are given back the right, by decision of the NABU director, in agreement with the SAP prosecutor, to investigate criminal offenses that fall within the jurisdiction of investigators from other agencies, while the prosecutor general's approval will no longer be required.
As reported, on July 22, the Verkhovna Rada restricted the independence of NABU and SAP by adopting a corresponding bill. In particular, the bill empowered the general prosecutor to effectively lead SAP and delegate the powers of the SAP prosecutor to other prosecutors, provide NABU with mandatory written instructions and request materials from any cases, delegate requested cases to any prosecutors, and delegate the investigation of cases that fall within NABU's jurisdiction to other agencies. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky signed the bill into law on the evening of July 22.
A day later, on July 23, after protests and concerns from international partners, Zelensky said that he would submit a new bill to the Verkhovna Rada.
Starting from July 22, protests against the restriction of the independence of NABU and SAP were held daily in Kiev and in a number of other Ukrainian cities. Thus, more than 5,800 protesters attended a rally in the capital outside the Ivan Franko Theater on the first day, July 22, while more than 9,500 protesters were reported on the second day, and more than 4,100 on the third day. Protests in Kiev also took place the following days, including on July 30.
Media reported later on Thursday that Zelensky signed into law the bill on reinstating the National Anticorruption Bureau's and the Specialized Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office's independence.
