{"id":1022,"date":"2025-07-22T20:56:14","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T20:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/?p=1022"},"modified":"2025-08-01T13:50:40","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T13:50:40","slug":"zelensky-ends-independence-of-anti-graft-bodies-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/22\/zelensky-ends-independence-of-anti-graft-bodies-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Zelensky ends independence of anti-graft bodies"},"content":{"rendered":"

The controversial bill has triggered warnings by the EU that Kiev is undermining the rule of law and sparked protests in the country<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Ukrainian Parliament has voted to end the independence of the country\u2019s anti-corruption agencies. The ongoing crackdown has triggered international scrutiny and protests across the country.<\/p>\n

The Verkhovna Rada on Tuesday approved legislation placing the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor\u2019s Office (SAPO) under executive oversight. Lawmakers opposing the bill reportedly shouted \u201cshame!\u201d<\/em> as the results were read out.<\/p>\n

Later in the day, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky signed the bill into law. The vote came just a day after the country\u2019s domestic security service raided the NABU\u2019s headquarters, arresting two investigators. The raids elicited concern from G7 ambassadors, who said they were monitoring the situation.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"Ukrainian
G7 \u2018concerned\u2019 about clampdown on Ukraine\u2019s anti-corruption bureau<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Anti-corruption activists called the timing deliberate. \u201cThis is about silencing NABU and SAPO as they close in on Zelensky\u2019s inner circle,\u201d<\/em> the NGO Anti-Corruption Action Center stated.<\/p>\n

The legislation was introduced by lawmakers from Zelensky\u2019s ruling party and was initially aimed at changing Ukraine\u2019s criminal code under martial law before last-minute amendments targeting anti-corruption bodies were added.<\/p>\n

MP Anastasia Radina warned the changes would \u201ceffectively dismantle\u201d<\/em> anti-graft infrastructure, turning the NABU and SAPO into \u201cpurely decorative institutions \u2026 completely dependent on the will of the prosecutor-general.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

The agencies were created in 2015 as part of a Western-backed push to ensure prosecutorial independence \u2013 a key condition for Ukraine\u2019s EU bid and international lending. The NABU received significant technical and equipment support from the US, UK, and EU.<\/p>\n

European Commissioner Marta Kos condemned the \u201cdismantling of key safeguards protecting NABU\u2019s independence as a serious step back\u201d<\/em> in the country\u2019s reform trajectory, saying the rule of law remains central to Ukraine\u2019s EU bid.<\/p>\n

European Commission spokesman Guillaume Mercier called the agencies \u201ccrucial\u201d<\/em> for fighting corruption and maintaining public trust. He stressed that Ukraine\u2019s accession would require \u201cstrong institutional resilience,\u201d<\/em> and noted that EU aid remains tied to reforms. Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko dismissed the backlash, calling corruption concerns \u201coveremphasized,\u201d<\/em> and signaled Kiev would seek more IMF support.<\/p>\n

\n
\n READ MORE: <\/span>Ukrainian PM claims corruption problem \u2018overemphasized\u2019
\n <\/a>\n <\/p>\n

Brussels has long viewed corruption as a key obstacle to Kiev\u2019s EU ambitions. Ukraine\u2019s reputation for endemic graft has deepened since the conflict with Russia escalated in 2022. The defense sector has been hit by procurement scandals, while donors have pushed for greater transparency.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The controversial bill has triggered warnings by the EU that Kiev is undermining the rule of law and sparked protests […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1025,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1022"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1022"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1022\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1033,"href":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1022\/revisions\/1033"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.youtubexyoutube.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}