On July 31, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted in favor of bill No. 13533 to restore the independent powers of the NABU and the SAPO.
Points of attention
- The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted in favor of bill No. 13533 to restore the independent powers of the NABU and the SAPO.
- President Zelenskyy's proposed draft law aims to ensure the strength of the law enforcement system and preserve the independence of anti-corruption bodies.
- The new law defines the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office as an independent leader for SAPO prosecutors, guaranteeing their procedural independence.
The Rada adopted draft law No. 13533: what is known
This was reported by People's Deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak.
Bill No. 13533 on the return of powers to the NABU and SAP was voted in favor and with a total of 331 votes. There were no abstentions or against.
Yaroslav Zheleznyak
People's Deputy of Ukraine
By faction, the votes for this law were as follows:
Servant of the People — 214
EU — 27
Voice — 16
Homeland — 4
Trust — 17
For the future — 11
Recovery — 9
Platform for Life — 17
Non-factional — 15
It should be noted that for the first time since 2022, the Council meeting was broadcast live.
Recall that on July 24, President Zelensky proposed a new draft law No. 13533, effectively canceling the previous one and introducing "safeguards" to preserve the independence of anti-corruption bodies. At the same time, the People's Deputies submitted six alternatives to Zelenskyy's draft law.
According to the president, his alternative bill "will provide strength to the law and order system." The head of state submitted No. 13533 to the Rada after meetings with the heads of law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies.
After the presidential bill was submitted, the NABU and SAP, which also participated in the preparation of the text, reported that No. 13533 "restores all procedural powers and guarantees of the independence of the NABU and SAP" and called on the Rada to adopt it as soon as possible. This will prevent threats to criminal proceedings investigated by anti-corruption agencies.
The draft law defines the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office as an independent head of the prosecutor's office for SAPO prosecutors. This guarantees their procedural independence from the Prosecutor General in cases investigated by NABU.
According to the document, the Prosecutor General is prohibited from giving mandatory written instructions to NABU detectives, transferring their cases to other bodies (except in special circumstances of wartime), or interfering in the work of SAP prosecutors or NABU detectives. The Prosecutor General also cannot change the jurisdiction of NABU cases without the consent of the head of SAP.
On the one hand, the document should guarantee the independence of NABU and SAP. However, there is a nuance. Project No. 13533 stipulates that employees of the Bureau and a number of law enforcement agencies with access to state secrets will have to undergo a polygraph test at least once every two years.
The NABU explains that the polygraph test is proposed to be conducted not by the SSU, but by the NABU Internal Control Department.
