European Solidarity Submits Alternative NABU and SAPO Bill to Address Shortcomings in Presidential Proposal
Co-chair of European Solidarity Iryna Gerashchenko announced that the faction has registered an alternative draft law to President Zelensky’s bill aimed at restoring the independence of NABU and SAPO. She stressed that the attempt to undermine anti-corruption agencies has jeopardized not only Ukraine’s European integration but also the flow of vital Western aid essential for the country’s survival during wartime.
This was reported by the press service of Eurosolidarity.
“In the so-called turbo mode, what happened can be described as a crime against the country, against European integration, and our future,” said MP Viktoriya Siumar. “Naturally, this provoked outrage in Ukrainian society and concern among our international partners. Incidentally, we were the only ones to directly warn about this — about the serious threats it poses to European integration and, most importantly, to the provision of technical assistance to Ukraine. It’s no secret that while Ukraine now earns enough to finance its army, all social payments are covered by partner support. That funding has been suspended, and this is a direct threat to every Ukrainian. To unblock it, this is not the time for political games, however tempting they may be.”
Iryna Gerashchenko added that President Zelensky’s draft law contains several serious flaws already noted by human rights activists and legal experts. In particular, it fails to restore the previously abolished transparent competition for appointments within the prosecutor’s office — a gap that, under Ukrainian conditions, risks increasing political dependence among prosecutors, encouraging repression, and “tightening the screws.”
The problem of extrajudicial searches, the excessiveness of which has already been drawn attention of the head of the Supreme Court of Criminal Procedure, also remains unresolved. The ECHR has also reacted to the illegality of the practice of extrajudicial searches in Ukraine.
“We believe that warrantless searches should only be permitted for grave crimes, such as murder, rape, or the planting of explosives. At the same time, we have taken into account the concerns expressed by NABU and SAPO: the provision allowing urgent searches in cases of bribery or attempted bribery remains in place. This is critical in the context of anti-corruption efforts,” Gerashchenko explained.
European Solidarity is also demanding that transparent and competitive selection processes within the Prosecutor’s Office be preserved.
“The third important provision of our alternative bill concerns the jurisdiction of NABU. Currently, the leadership of the President’s Office and the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) is exempt from NABU’s oversight. We believe that at a time when real power is concentrated in the hands of five or six individuals from the President’s Office, it is crucial that the NABU also has the authority to investigate the President’s Office and SBI leadership in cases of corruption,” Gerashchenko stressed.
She reminded that European Solidarity insists on the immediate restoration of the full and independent functioning of NABU and SAPO.
“Our team — the one that created Ukraine’s anti-corruption infrastructure — tried on July 22 to prevent the violation of parliamentary procedures and block the consideration of a scandalous bill that threatened the independence of NABU and SAPO. We continue to insist on the urgent restoration of these institutions’ full functioning,” she added.
The faction’s co-chair noted that, in response to the controversy, MPs had registered draft law No. 13531, which addresses the key legal shortcomings.
“We welcome the fact that President Zelensky also recognized the risks posed to the country and submitted his version — draft law No. 13533. However, even its registration violated parliamentary procedures. If Ukraine’s parliament functioned according to the rules, the president’s bill would have been registered as an alternative to the previously submitted draft, not as a separate initiative. Both address the same issue,” Gerashchenko said.
Finally, she appealed to MPs across party lines:
“We are in Kyiv. Return to Kyiv. On July 31, parliament must convene and swiftly correct the mistakes made on Bankova Street and subsequently approved by the legislature,” Gerashchenko urged.
At the same time, MP Viktoria Siumar stated that an attempt was made to disrupt the meeting of the anti-corruption committee, as representatives of oligarchic groups failed to attend and, for unclear reasons, neither they nor members of the Servant of the People party were added to the meeting.
“This suggests that some kind of vote-trading is taking place in parliament,” Siumar remarked.
In light of this, European Solidarity is calling for parliamentary sessions to be broadcast live.
“The public has a right to know the position of each parliamentary faction and how individual MPs vote. Politicians must be held accountable for their decisions. A live broadcast will help instill discipline in the chamber and allow for swift correction of the July 22 mistakes — so that the bill is passed, signed immediately by the speaker and the president, and the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions is restored,” emphasized Iryna Gerashchenko.
She also reminded that the deadline for appointing a legally selected candidate as the head of the BEB expires on July 31, and among the beacons of international financial donors to Ukraine are also the reform of the State Bureau of Investigation and other urgent bills that are being sabotaged by the authorities.
It is worth adding that on July 31, the Verkhovna Rada will consider one of the key laws for anti-corruption reform — the bill on restoring the independence of NABU and SAPO. Before that, on July 30, the document will be urgently considered by the relevant parliamentary committee.
Earlier, the European Commission put forward tough demands to Ukraine to restore the independence of anti-corruption bodies . European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, during personal talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, emphasized that the independence of NABU and SAPO is a prerequisite for European integration, and there will be no compromises in this area. The EU warns Kyiv of possible consequences if these demands are not met.
The day before, the European Commission expressed serious concern about attempts to limit the independence of anti-corruption bodies in Ukraine. These concerns draft law No. 12414, which provides for the subordination of the activities of the NABU and the SAPO to the Prosecutor General.
As a reminder, on July 22, the Verkhovna Rada voted for a bill that significantly limits the powers of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) , effectively subordinating their activities to the Prosecutor General, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed it.
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