Zelenskyy undermines key Anti-Corruption reforms. With draft law No 12414, Zelenskyy is destroying the key anti-corruption achievements of the Revolution of Dignity and taking us back to the Yanukovych era (at least in terms of justice).
Today, the Verkhovna Rada’s law enforcement committee voted for the respective amendments to draft law No 12414.
Anastasia Radina, Chairman of the Committee on Anti-Corruption Policy in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, says that expectedly, yesterday’s raids involving the use of physical force and the serving of suspicion notices to NABU employees have become the backdrop for a full-scale attack on NABU and SAPO.
She informed early this morning that just now, amendments were added to draft law No 12414 (which is headed for its second reading) that would effectively turn SAPO into a symbolic institution and make both NABU and SAPO fully dependent on the will of the Prosecutor General.
Specifically, the amendments would grant the Prosecutor General the power to:
- Act as the de facto head of SAPO and reassign SAPO prosecutors’ powers to other prosecutors,
- Issue binding written orders to NABU and demand access to any case files,
- Transfer NABU cases to any other prosecutors,
- Reassign investigations that fall under NABU’s jurisdiction to other law enforcement bodies.
“If adopted, these changes would effectively dismantle Ukraine’s anti-corruption infrastructure. I consider the consequences of this law’s adoption to be catastrophic for the state.” – Radina summarises.
Ironically, draft law No 12414 was registered on January 16, 2025 – a date not lost on those who remember the origins of Ukraine’s anti-corruption reforms. Radina urge colleagues not to support this initiative under any circumstances.
Also, anti-corruption activit Vitaliy Shabunin states that in short, the draft law places NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau) and SAP (Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office) under the control of the Prosecutor General, allowing them to take over any case and direct investigations.
That’s essentially it.
“Under such conditions, NABU/SAPO/HACC (High Anti-Corruption Court) make no sense – Zelensky’s Prosecutor General will shut down all investigations into the president’s friends.”
Accordingly, electronic asset declarations, punishment for illicit enrichment, special confiscation, and all other anti-corruption reforms of the Revolution of Dignity become meaningless as well.
This is the real Zelenskyy. These are his real values and beliefs. With the silence of international partners, he can finally show his true face.
I’m addressing the members of parliament who will vote for this. Remember what Ukrainians did to the Party of Regions. Ukrainians today are much angrier than they were back then.
Don’t think Zelenskyy will protect you. He has no use for you,- said Shabunin.
And as for joining the EU, dear Ukrainians – we might as well forget about it right now. Let’s just hope we can keep visa-free travel.
To remind, back in January 2025, in an interview with Lex Fridman, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine’s anti-corruption system is “very complex” – not because it’s hard to understand, but because it consists of many different elements.
“It’s the most complex in all of Europe,” Zelenskyy emphasized.
He noted that the creation of this system was one of the key demands from Ukraine’s Western partners, “because for many years, there was no trust in Ukraine.”
All shows that Zelenskyy is on the way to simplify the anti-corruption system.
…simply for whom? This is rhetorical question.
Tags: anti-corruption reform
