Following street protests, Zelensky signs law restoring independence of anti-graft bodies
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law passed by the parliament on July 31 that restores the independence of two principal anti-corruption bodies after a closely-watched vote.
In the first livestreamed vote since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, 331 lawmakers approved the bill in two back-to-back readings, with none voting against it.
The newly signed law was published in the official parliamentary newspaper Holos Ukrainy, which means it will enter into force the next day, on Aug. 1.
The law reverses legislation passed last week that effectively destroyed the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), two agencies founded as part of the post-EuroMaidan anti-graft reforms.
“I want to thank all the lawmakers for passing my bill, now a law. I have just signed the document, and the text will be published immediately,” Zelensky said on his Telegram channel.
“There are guarantees for the proper, independent operation of anti-corruption bodies and all law enforcement agencies of our state.”
The initial controversial bill, quickly pushed through by Zelensky’s lawmakers and signed by the president on July 22, sparked mass demonstrations across the country and backlash from Ukraine’s international partners.
Following the negative response abroad and at home, Zelensky proposed a new bill only two days later to restore the independence of the anti-corruption bodies.
Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC), a watchdog, supported Zelensky’s initiative, saying it would “restore the principles previously dismantled by the Verkhovna Rada.”
European Commission spokesperson for enlargement Guillaume Mercier said that with the vote, the Rada had restored key safeguards ensuring the independence of the anti-corruption bodies.
“In our view, the law addresses the key challenges to NABU and SAPO’s independence. We will however need to check the final text,” Mercier said.
Mercier added that the EU expects Ukraine to “deliver on those commitments swiftly and take decisive steps on rule of law.”
Why was last week's law controversial?
Last week’s law expanded the prosecutor general’s authority over cases handled by the SAPO and NABU. It also allowed the prosecutor general to issue binding instructions to NABU, reassign cases outside the agency, and delegate SAPO’s authority to other prosecutors.
Anti-corruption activists and opposition lawmakers said the changes dismantled safeguards that protect both bodies from political interference, while the bill’s proponents claimed it aimed to combat alleged Russian influence within the agencies.
After the law was passed, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other European leaders appealed to Zelensky to stress the importance of anti-corruption infrastructure, a key condition for Ukraine’s EU accession efforts.
The Rada corrected last week’s damaging vote undermining NABU’s & SAPO’s independence. Today’s law restores key safeguards, but challenges remain. The EU supports 🇺🇦 citizens’ demands for reform.
Upholding fundamental values & fighting corruption must remain the priority.