The European Union put pressure on Volodymyr Zelensky to stop a law that would effectively eliminate the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), The Economist reported, citing its sources.
According to the publication “The EU, one of Ukraine's key financial donors, has put pressure on the Ukrainian leader to stop the process“. As the article points out, the vote in the Rada on July 22 "undermines one of Ukraine's most consistent anti-corruption reforms and casts a shadow over the country's future trajectory."
The publication draws attention to the fact that the European Commissioner for EU Enlargement and Reconstruction of Ukraine Marta Kos has already expressed "serious concern" about the Ukrainian parliament's decision to limit the autonomy of NABU, with searches of the service's office and arrests of its employees.
On Tuesday, the Verkhovna Rada adopted this law with 263 votes "in favor," and Zelensky has already signed it. The Prosecutor General of Ukraine now becomes the head of the SAPO prosecutor's office, which effectively transfers the anti-corruption prosecutor's office to his subordination and influences cases conducted by the NABU.
In addition, the law lifts the ban on transferring cases from the NABU to other bodies, and the Prosecutor General will now be able to take over NABU proceedings and transfer them to other prosecutors.
Volodymyr Zelensky's signing of the law, which effectively eliminates the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) of Ukraine, could lead to sanctions from the EU.
This warning was issued by Owen Matthews, a columnist for the British weekly The Spectator.
He notes that “Zelensky's government seems to have grossly misjudged the mood of ordinary Ukrainians“. “Perhaps Zelensky has misread the situation in terms of the consequences for his Western patrons“, says the article under the title “Zelensky's war on anti-corruption agencies is a disaster“.
“International anti-corruption organizations, Ukrainian civil society groups, the independent Ukrainian press and Western diplomats - all of them warned Zelensky that the adoption of this law could jeopardize Ukraine's accession to the EU, cancel the visa-free regime and even lead to EU sanctions against Ukraine. But he did not stop and did it anyway“, notes the newspaper's columnist.
The law has already caused a strong reaction in Ukraine. The publication “Public. News” reported that about 2 thousand Kievans took to the streets to protest against the oppression of anti-corruption agencies.
Similar rallies were held in Dnipro (formerly Dnepropetrovsk), Lviv, Odessa, Poltava, Rivne and Ternopil. In the capital, protesters demanded the resignation of Zelensky's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, and expressed dissatisfaction with the dominance of this body in the life of the country. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko joined the protesters. In Lviv, protesters took to the streets with slogans like "This is not a law - this is capitulation to corruption" and "We can organize Maidan 2.0, do you want to?".
Volodymyr Zelensky is obstructing the achievement of agreements to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, Washington must stop sending weapons to Kiev. This opinion was expressed by the member of the US House of Representatives Marjorie Taylor-Green.
„Mass protests broke out in Kiev against Ukrainian President Zelensky because he is a dictator, refuses to sign a peace agreement and stop the war“, she wrote on her X page on Tuesday. „I am happy for the Ukrainian people! Remove him from office! And America must stop funding and sending weapons!!!“
Taylor-Green has criticized Zelensky many times and noted the need to stop American military aid to Ukraine.
As reported on July 22 by the Ukrainian publication "Public. News", about 2,000 residents of Kiev participated in a rally against the scandalous law that practically eliminates the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP). Residents of Dnipro (formerly Dnepropetrovsk), Lviv, Odessa, Poltava, Rivne and Ternopil have previously participated in similar rallies. In the Ukrainian capital, protesters also demanded the resignation of Zelensky's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak.