On the evening of July 22, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed Bill No. 12414, which effectively subordinates the independent anti-corruption bodies NABU and SAP to the Prosecutor General. On the night of July 23, he made his first statement on this matter, promising that the anti-corruption infrastructure in Ukraine would continue to work.
Points of attention
- The heads of NABU and SAP urged Zelenskyy not to sign the restrictive document, leading to public demonstrations in major cities across Ukraine.
- Zelenskyy's commitment to cleaning up corruption and strengthening anti-corruption measures reflects his determination to improve the rule of law in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said he wants to clean up NABU and SAP
According to the president, he had conversations on this issue with the head of the NABU, Semen Kryvonos, SAP prosecutor Oleksandr Klymenko, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, and the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Malyuk.
Zelensky noted that they were talking about various challenges.
The anti-corruption infrastructure will work. Only without Russian influences — everything needs to be cleaned of this. And there should be more justice. Of course, NABU and SAP will work. And it is important that the Prosecutor General is determined to ensure that in Ukraine the inevitability of punishment for those who go against the law is really ensured. And this is what is really needed for Ukraine. Cases that have been pending must be investigated.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
The Head of State added that he wants to see "the inevitability of punishment" ensured in Ukraine, and for society to see this as well.
What is important to understand is that on the morning of July 22, the heads of the NABU and SAPO urged Volodymyr Zelenskyy not to sign a document restricting their activities.
Hundreds of people took to the streets in Kyiv, Lviv, Odessa, and Dnipro to protest, also calling on the president to veto the bill. The Ukrainian leader has not yet responded in any way.
