Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed Law No. 12414, which grants the Prosecutor General’s Office control over the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP).
The official website of the Ukrainian Parliament has confirmed that the president approved the law despite mass protests from anti-corruption watchdogs, European officials, and activists.
People in Lviv, Dnipro, and Odesa took to the streets to protest against the law that brings Ukraine back to the times of former pro-Russian President Victor Yanukovych, who was ousted in the 2013-2014 Euromaidan protests.
The bill provides that:
- The Prosecutor General gains access to all NABU cases or can grant such access to any other prosecutor.
- The Prosecutor General can issue mandatory written instructions to NABU detectives and, if they are not followed, can change jurisdiction by transferring cases to other agencies,
- Has the right to close investigations at the request of the defense,
Independently resolves jurisdiction disputes, - Signs notes of suspicion against high-ranking officials personally.
The head of SAPO loses the right to participate in prosecutor groups, as this is decided solely by the Prosecutor General.
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