Latest news with #NationalAnti-CorruptionBureauofUkraine
LeMonde
27 minutes ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Ukraine awaits crucial vote on sensitive anti-corruption bill
Cardboard signs bearing pointed, sometimes humorous slogans, Ukrainian flags, and hundreds of young people holding them aloft. These demonstrations have been regularly held since July 22, the day Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law that stripped two government agencies tasked with investigating high-level corruption cases of their independent statuses. On Wednesday, July 30, about 1,000 demonstrators – fewer than the week before – gathered outside Kyiv's Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater, shouting and singing to keep up pressure on the government. Many young people that evening also called out the country's lawmakers, who are expected to vote on legislation considered crucial for Ukraine's future on Thursday, July 31. The bill aims to overturn the measures against the anti-corruption agencies that were passed just eight days earlier. Zelensky, faced with the severity of the political crisis the law provoked, had no choice but to backtrack on July 24. The new bill therefore seeks to restore the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), after both agencies were placed under the authority of Ukraine's prosecutor general, a close ally of the president, on July 22. According to Ukraine's anti-corruption organizations, this restructuring was a way for the presidency to control the agencies' work, access their files and influence their investigations.
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Ukraine anti-corruption chief says his agency faces 'dirty information campaign'
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Semen Kryvonos, Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, speaks during an interview with Reuters, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 25, 2025. REUTERS/Yurii Kovalenko KYIV - Ukraine's top anti-corruption investigator said on Friday that he did not expect attempts to derail his agency's work to end, despite an abrupt U-turn by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on curbing their independence that fuelled rare wartime protests. Semen Kryvonos, director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), said he was taken aback by attempts this week to curtail his agency's fight against graft but did not name those who may have been behind the legislation. "Everyone united around the idea of ruining our independence," Kryvonos told Reuters in an interview in Kyiv, referring to parliament passing the controversial measures. "This was a shock for me - how much demand had built up to destroy us." He spoke a day after Zelenskiy sought to defuse tensions by submitting legislation restoring the independence of NABU and its sister agency, the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO). Thousands of protesters took part in protests in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities this week after lawmakers fast-tracked a bill granting a Zelenskiy-appointed general prosecutor power over the two bodies. The move had also threatened Kyiv's ties with the European Union and Western donors which have been a critical source of financial and military support during Russia's war in Ukraine. Kryvonos applauded Zelenskiy's reversal, but said NABU and SAPO remain a high-priority target for vested interests aiming to stymie their closely watched efforts to clean up. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SMRT to pay lower fine of $2.4m for EWL disruption; must invest at least $600k to boost reliability Singapore MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA Singapore S'pore could have nuclear energy 'within a few years', if it decides on it: UN nuclear watchdog chief Life 'Do you kill children?': Even before independence, S'pore has always loved its over-the-top campaigns Singapore Lung damage, poor brain development, addiction: What vaping does to the body Singapore Tipsy Collective sues former directors, HR head; alleges $14m lost from misconduct, poor decisions Singapore Fine for couple whose catering companies owed $432,000 in salaries to 103 employees Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly Parliament will consider Zelenskiy's new bill in a special session next week. But Kryvonos worries corrupt actors will step up a "dirty information campaign" already being waged against NABU on widely read anonymous Telegram channels, casting the agency as slow or ineffective. He did not identify the exact sources of resistance to his agency's work, saying only that they are "various representatives of the government, various financial groups". "Everyone who is offended by NABU and SAPO will be pushing out this message," Kryvonos said. 'SYSTEMIC WORK' AND THREATS Since Russia's February 2022 invasion, Ukraine has stepped up a campaign to eradicate the pervasive graft that has plagued its political culture for decades. Stamping out corruption is both critical to Kyiv's bid to join the EU and its effort to erase a legacy of autocracy and Russian rule. NABU and SAPO, launched with Western support after a 2014 revolution toppled a pro-Russian president, have levelled charges against lawmakers and senior government officials. In recent months, Kryvonos's agency has uncovered huge real estate schemes in the capital Kyiv and accused a then deputy prime minister of taking a $345,000 kickback. Kryvonos suggested such efforts had led to a sweeping crackdown this week that paved the way for the rollback of NABU's and SAPO's powers. Two NABU officials were arrested for suspected ties to Russia and nearly 20 other agency employees searched over lesser alleged infractions in a campaign critics said went too far. "All of this was a result of systemic work by NABU and SAPO, especially over the past half-year," he said, adding that he had also received "a huge amount" of threats. Despite winning a hard-fought victory this week, he said resistance was still widespread enough across the political landscape to pose a serious challenge. He cited the controversial law that had been supported by most of Zelenskiy's political party as well as opposition lawmakers and those associated with former pro-Russian factions. Political elites, Kryvonos said, "need to stop considering us as accept us as an important part of state institutions." REUTERS
NBC News
6 days ago
- Politics
- NBC News
Can Volodymyr Zelenskyy recover from his self-made crisis?
KYIV, Ukraine — The reversal was almost as swift as the outpouring of public fury. But the question is how much this week's sudden crisis in Ukraine has nonetheless tarnished the talismanic image of its leader, a man crucial in rallying support at home and abroad for the fight against Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday appeared to reverse his attempt to seize sweeping powers over the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office. Saying he heard the concerns of his people and Western backers, he has now introduced a law that he said would guarantee their independence — and the agencies themselves said they were satisfied. Many Ukrainians are eager to point out that this open-eared approach — taking immediate action to remedy the problem — is a drastic change from past administrations that dismissed or even silenced such concerns. But some fear the damage may already be done. 'For Zelenskyy, this is a serious crisis of legitimacy,' Oleksandra Keudel, an assistant professor of public policy and governance at the Kyiv School of Economics, told NBC News in an email. 'I'm not sure it's reversible.' Now known as a camo-clad wartime leader, Zelenskyy was a comedian elected in 2019 promising to root out the corruption that has plagued Ukraine since it gained modern independence in 1991. He was widely lauded for his anti-corruption fight — adding fuel to the dismay over his quixotic power grab. Ukrainians took to the streets in their thousands, some shouting 'shame!' outside the legislature in Kyiv. With his legislative about-face Thursday, Zelenskyy has at least undone the immediate machinery that so worried observers, domestic and foreign. 'It is important that Ukrainians are responding with such dignity to everything thatʼs happening,' he said. He conceded in a conversation with journalists that 'probably, there should have been a dialogue' before going ahead with the law. 'I am focused on the issue of the war,' he added. 'For me, it was very important that we listened and responded adequately. People asked for changes. We responded.' When asked for comment on the criticisms, Zelenskyy's office referred NBC News to the comments made Thursday. What hurts Ukrainians is the perception that the government could so easily undo the hard-fought progress won during the Maidan uprising of 2014 that ousted the Kremlin-backed leader Viktor Yanukovych. Mykhailo Sobaliev, an 18-year-old student, says that back then, his father was the head of the parliament's anti-graft committee and was directly involved in establishing the two bodies whose power Zelenskyy's law sought to curb. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion, his father immediately signed up with the territorial defense units protecting the capital, and now he is fighting in Zaporizhzhia. Sobaliev describes Zelenskyy's law as 'ugly' and 'outrageous,' and knows criticizing the government during wartime is a gift to Ukraine's enemies. But he sees the public outrage as 'a manifestation that democracy still exists and is alive.' Indeed, many here are eager to point out that the protests, during a period of martial law when such large gatherings can be restricted, would not be possible in Russia, w hich has brutally crushed far meeker displays of dissent. Many Ukrainians see this civic surge as intrinsically linked with the attritional violence on the front lines; if these values are not protected at home, then what are the troops fighting for? The war has become 'hard — very hard,' said Aristarkh, 50, a Ukrainian special forces officer, who like most Ukrainian soldiers only uses one name for security reasons. 'It's very difficult to stay motivated,' he said. However 'when I saw this number of people' protesting and 'also fighting for their country,' he felt 'incredible pride,' he added. 'It just raises your level of motivation an order of magnitude.' Jessica Berlin, a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, a Washington think tank, is a vocal supporter of Ukraine. The initial law was one of Zelenskyy's 'worst political mistakes since the full scale invasion began,' she said, breaking 'the unspoken contract between the Ukrainian government and people that has held through over three traumatic, exhausting years.' The public has 'refrained from mass protests' in 'the good faith belief that the government is doing everything to win the war and restore security while not overstepping their wartime powers or threatening the democratic progress,' she said. But 'for many Ukrainians, this bill crosses a red line.' The opprobrium was far from just domestic, with leaders across Europe voicing their disquiet and urging Zelenskyy to rethink. Others fear his standing has been undermined for the longer term. 'Until now, Zelenskyy and his team have been recognized as 'good guys,'' said Drago Kos, former chairman of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions. But this week has posed uncomfortable questions: 'Why are the 'good guys' afraid of anti-corruption efforts within their own country?' he said.
Epoch Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Zelenskyy Backtracks on Anti-Corruption Law After Protests, EU Criticism
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday submitted a new bill that would restore the independence of Ukraine's anti-graft agencies after a law passed earlier this week provoked protests from Ukrainians and criticism from the European Union. Ukraine's two main anti-corruption bodies, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), welcomed the new bill, which they said they helped draft, saying it guarantees their independence.
Arab News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Ukraine's Zelensky says ‘listened' to protesters on anti-graft law
KYIV: Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said his government had heard protesters opposing a law revoking the independence of anti-corruption agencies and had responded by proposing new legislation. The adoption of the bill, which curbed the powers of two anti-graft bodies, triggered the biggest public protests in Ukraine since Russia's invasion and drew criticism from Kyiv's European allies. 'It is absolutely normal to react when people don't want something or when they dislike something,' Zelensky said in comments released to journalists on Friday, adding it was 'very important that we listened and responded adequately.' 'For me, it was very important that we listened and responded adequately,' Zelensky added. The government has since submitted a bill aimed at restoring the independence of the anti-graft bodies – the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO). It remains to be seen whether parliament, mostly loyal to Zelensky, will approve the draft law. Zelensky acknowledged there should 'probably have been more of a dialogue' before the law was adopted. 'I am focused on the issue of the war because right now, the number one issue in Ukraine is the war. The biggest problem is the war. The main enemy is Russia.'
