On July 22, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted unanimously in favor of draft law No. 12414, which places the independent anti-corruption agencies NABU and SAP under the control of the Prosecutor General's Office.
Points of attention
- Members of parliament protested the bill by blocking the rostrum, highlighting the contentious nature of the legislative change.
- The decision to pass the bill despite objections from NABU and SAP could have far-reaching implications for the effectiveness of anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine.
What is known about the new Rada decision?
263 deputies voted for the scandalous bill with amendments.
Several members of parliament blocked the rostrum before voting on the bill.
According to People's Deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak, this is "the only option, at least theoretically, to stop" the adoption of the bill.
Previously, the Verkhovna Rada's Law Enforcement Committee supported amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), according to which the NABU and SAP may become dependent on the decisions of the Prosecutor General. Currently, these are independent anti-corruption institutions.
What is important to understand is that draft law No. 12414 provides for:
The Prosecutor General receives access to all NABU cases or may grant such access to any other prosecutor;
has the right to give mandatory written instructions to NABU detectives and, in case of their failure to comply, change the scope of the investigation, transferring the case to other bodies;
may close the investigation at the request of the defense;
himself resolves disputes about subjectivity;
independently signs suspicions against top officials;
The head of the SAP loses the right to join the group of prosecutors — this is decided only by the Prosecutor General.
Watch the NABU and SAP briefing on this matter:
More on the topic
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- Ukraine
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- Додати до обраного
