Failed to escape NABU: did the authorities hear the voice of the street?

The authorities did not immediately realize the seriousness of the situation surrounding the NABU and SAPO, and only after mass protests did the President of Ukraine introduce a bill to strengthen the powers of anti-corruption agencies. However, the document itself raises certain doubts, in particular the provision on polygraph testing.

This was stated on the air of “Pryamoy” by Yana Zinkevich, a member of parliament from the “European Solidarity” faction, a volunteer medic, and the founder of the “Hospitaliery” battalion.

“The authorities did not want to listen for the first few days and did not want to see reality. They thought that they could get away with it, that nothing bad would happen. But, as you can see, the reaction of the West, the reduction in funding, the distrust of people, and the rejection of the public consensus have already passed. Since 2022, all citizens have taken on a certain obligation not to criticize the authorities, because they are fighting for our independence, but now this declaration has been violated and therefore we can expect large rallies on many issues, because people’s patience has run out and I understand them,” Zinkevich noted.

In addition, the MP commented on the bill proposed by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky on “strengthening the powers of the NABU and the SAPO”, which is planned to be considered on Thursday, July 31.

“First of all, I think that Thursday is too late. It should have been Monday or Tuesday. This is the first thing. Secondly, the presidential law was supposed to be an alternative to the law that was adopted, but he did not take this into account and submitted a separate bill. Well, okay with that, but it contains very questionable norms regarding lie detector tests. This area is not regulated at all in Ukraine, it will only complicate the situation,” Zinkevych noted.

At the same time, she expressed the opinion that it would still be worth voting not for the presidential bill, but for the initiative from the opposition, but the “monomajority” will definitely not do this, because it is only carrying out orders from Bankova Street.

“I consider this law imperfect. The perfect law is the one that was registered by the opposition, which was signed by 48 people’s deputies, including me. I believe that it is the one that should be adopted. But let’s face reality. If the “servants” are told to vote, they will vote for the presidential law,” the MP explains.

“Also, the fact that the vote will be on Thursday, I think, is due to the fact that the Verkhovna Rada has arranged a few weeks of vacation, everyone has gone on legal and illegal vacations, supposedly on business trips, but in reality we all understand what these “servants of the people” are doing, as well as some members of other factions. Therefore, the reality is probably such that it is difficult to gather them, and the vote is scheduled for Thursday,” added Yana Zinkevich, representative of European Solidarity.

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.

The Verkhovna Rada’s support for draft law No. 12414, which effectively deprives the SAPO of its independence and may limit the powers of the NABU, has raised serious concerns in the European Union . This decision will affect the annual assessment of Ukraine’s progress towards EU membership, which the European Commission will publish in October.

In addition, US Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Lindsey Graham expressed concern about a law recently passed in Ukraine, which they said weakens the independence of anti-corruption institutions by subordinating them to the Prosecutor General.

It is worth noting that society negatively perceived the actual destruction of anti-corruption bodies. On July 22 and 23, hundreds of people in many cities of Ukraine took to rallies against Law No. 12414.

Subsequently, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky submitted to the Verkhovna Rada a law on “strengthening the powers of the NABU and the SAPO” . The document stipulates that the Prosecutor General and his deputies do not have the right to give instructions to prosecutors of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. The Prosecutor General is also prohibited from influencing the work of NABU detectives.

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