Ukrainian Parliament Votes to Weaken Anti-Corruption Agencies

Ukraine's parliament passed a controversial law that removes the independence of key anti-corruption bodies, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), placing them under the oversight of the prosecutor general, a political appointee of President Zelenskyy. The law grants the prosecutor general extensive powers, including access to all NABU proceedings, authority to give binding instructions to detectives, change case jurisdictions, close proceedings, and personally sign notices of suspicion against high-ranking officials. This move has sparked significant domestic backlash and concerns from Ukraine’s Western partners, especially the European Union, which views the independence of these agencies as crucial to Ukraine’s reform agenda, judicial transparency, and EU accession prospects. The law was passed amid recent security service raids on NABU offices, which the government justified as efforts to counter suspected Russian influence. Critics argue that undermining these anti-corruption institutions threatens Ukraine’s fight against corruption and risks derailing vital international financial and political support. The EU has expressed its worry about the repercussions of the law on Ukraine's democratic governance and continued reform commitments.