July 31, (THEWILL) — President Volodymyr Zelensky, on Thursday, signed a new legislation restoring the “independence” of Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies, reversing changes that had sparked large-scale protests and criticism from the European Union.
Zelensky signed the bill shortly after lawmakers gave their backing for the changes, which were also approved in advance by the anti-corruption bodies.
“The law guarantees the absence of any external influence or interference. It is very important that the state listens to public opinion. It hears its citizens. Ukraine is a democracy,” the Ukrainian leader wrote on social media, announcing he had approved the bill.
Earlier, the law had put the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) under the direct authority of the prosecutor general, who is appointed by the president. However, critics took to the streets in protracted protests fearing the the move could facilitate presidential interference in corruption probes
Dozens of demonstrators, armed with placards that read “restore independence” and European Union flags, gathered ahead of the vote to urge lawmakers to back the new bill.
Commenting on the new legislation, European Commission spokesman Guillaume Mercier said the bill “restored key safeguards” for anti-graft agencies but cautioned, “This is not the end of the process. Ukraine’s accession will require continuous efforts to guarantee a strong capacity to combat corruption and to respect the rule of law. We expect Ukraine to deliver on those commitments swiftly.”
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