Vladimir Zelensky’s signing of the law that de-facto ends independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies may entail European Union sanctions, said Owen Matthews, an observer of the United Kingdom’s The Spectator daily.
In his words, "Zelensky’s government seems to have seriously miscalculated the mood of ordinary Ukrainian people."
"Perhaps more seriously, Zelensky seems to have badly misread the room in terms of the impact on his backers in the West," he said in an opinion piece, headlined ‘Zelensky’s war on Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies is a disaster.’
"International anti-corruption bodies, Ukrainian civil society groups, the independent Ukrainian press and Western diplomats have all been warning Zelensky that passing this law could jeopardize Ukraine’s EU accession process, cancel its visa-free regime, and even trigger EU sanctions against Ukraine. But he went ahead and did it anyway," the observer wrote.
On Tuesday, Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, passed the bill with 263 votes in favor. Under the law, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office will be under the authority of the prosecutor general, who will be able to influence the activity of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau. Apart from that, the law lifts the ban on transferring cases from the Bureau to other agencies, which means that the prosecutor general will be able to exempt cases from the Bureau and transfer them to other prosecutors. According to the Ukrainian media, this law will seriously impact the work of both the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the National Agency on Corruption Prevention, which controls tax returns.
The law caused outrage in Ukrainian society. According to the Ukrainian Obshchestvennoye.Novosti news outlet, around 2,000 people gathered for a rally in in Kiev to protest against the law. similar protest rallies were held in Lvov, Dnepr (formerly known as Dnepropetrovsk), Odessa, Poltava, Ternopol, and Rovno. [TASS]
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Ukraine's government is facing a growing backlash after President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law limiting the independence of two anti-corruption agencies.
ReplyDeleteThe contentious bill grants control of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (Nabu) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (Sap) to the prosecutor general, who is appointed by the president.
Zelensky argued provisions needed to be taken as Nabu and Sap were letting criminal proceedings stagnate for years and insisted they had to be "cleansed from Russian influence".
He signed the bill into law late on Tuesday after it received the backing of 263 MPs out of 324.
Many Ukrainians outside parliament – the Rada - disagree with the decision. Critics say the law will severely undermine the Nabu and Sap's authority and effectiveness.
ReplyDeleteOn Tuesday night thousands gathered outside the president's office in Kyiv to protest.
Smaller rallies were also held in Odesa, Dnipro, Lviv and Sumy - despite the continued threat from nightly Russian aerial attacks. The gatherings were the first anti-government demonstrations since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Anti-corruption laws are the cornerstone of Ukraine’s European integration, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys told reporters.
ReplyDelete"According to opinion polls, corruption is currently as pressing an issue for Ukrainian society as the ongoing aggression. It’s a major political concern not only for Ukrainians themselves but also for us, as it forms the foundation of Ukraine’s path toward EU membership," he said.
Budrys urged the international community to view Ukraine "with open eyes." "Ukraine should give us no grounds to question the transparency its policies," he added.
Vladimir Zelensky's hurried decision to enact a law that effectively eliminates the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NACB) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SACPO) is partly explained by the investigations of these bodies against his inner circle, the Financial Times reported.
ReplyDelete"The rush appears to have been sparked by investigations into members of Zelensky’s circle and the president’s desire to further consolidate control over powerful institutions during wartime," the story says.