Ukraine moves to restore power of anti-graft agencies

Perth Now

3 days ago

Ukraine's parliament has overwhelmingly approved a bill presented by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that restores the independence of two of the country's key anti-corruption watchdogs, reversing his contentious move last week that curbed their power and brought an outcry.
Last week's measure by Zelenskiy to place the watchdogs under the oversight of the prosecutor-general prompted rebukes from Ukrainians, the European Union and international rights groups.
It raised fears the government could meddle in investigations and potentially shield its supporters from scrutiny.
Fighting entrenched corruption is crucial for Ukraine's aspirations to join the EU and maintain access to billions of dollars of vital Western aid in the nearly three-and-a-half year all-out war.
It's also an effort that enjoys broad public support.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, who called last week's legislative changes "a serious step back", welcomed approval of the bill, saying MPs had "corrected last week's damaging vote".
"Today's law restores key safeguards, but challenges remain," Kos, who monitors the record of countries that are candidates to join the bloc, wrote on X.
Backlash against Zelenskiy's measures brought street protests across the country that were the first major demonstrations since Russia's full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022.
Though the protests did not call for the president's removal, the controversy threatened to undermine public trust in their leaders at a critical time.
Russia's bigger army is accelerating its efforts to pierce Ukraine's frontline defences and is escalating its bombardment of Ukrainian cities.
There is also uncertainty over how much additional weaponry Ukraine's Western partners can provide and how quickly.
The Ukrainian branch of Transparency International also criticised last week's legislation, saying it weakened one of the most significant reforms since what Ukraine calls its Revolution of Dignity in 2014.
Zelenskiy said his goal had been to speed up prolonged investigations, ensure more convictions and remove Russian meddling in investigations, which he did not detail.
He said he had taken note of the protests and decided to present a new bill to parliament underscoring that the prosecutor-general and his deputies could not give orders to anti-graft agencies or interfere in their work.
MP in Kyiv approved Zelenskiy's new proposal with 331 votes and nine abstentions on Thursday.