Zelenskyy moves to restore independence of Ukraine anti-graft agencies after protests, EU criticism

By ILLIA NOVIKOV and HANNA ARHIROVA
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday submitted a new bill that would restore the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies in an effort to defuse tensions following his approval earlier this week of a controversial law that weakened their autonomy.

The previous bill was seen as undermining the agencies’ independence and sparked a public outcry and protests, the first major demonstrations since the war began, as well as sharp criticism from the European Union.

Zelenskyy said parliament would review the new bill, which “guarantees real strengthening of Ukraine’s law enforcement system, the independence of anti-corruption bodies, and reliable protection of the legal system from any Russian interference.”

First reactions

Ukraine’s two main anti-graft agencies — the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office — quickly welcomed Zelenskyy’s new proposal, saying it restores all their procedural powers and guarantees their independence.

The agencies said they helped draft the new bill, and urged lawmakers to adopt it “as soon as possible” to prevent threats to ongoing criminal cases.

The bill would replace the contentious law passed by lawmakers and approved by Zelenskyy earlier this week. Critics said it stripped Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies of their independence by granting the government more oversight of their work.

A controversial law

Zelenskyy initially argued the law was needed to speed up investigations, ensure more convictions and remove Russian meddling.

After Thursday’s U-turn, Zelenskyy said the new bill reverses the earlier changes and also introduced additional measures aimed at “combating Russian influence,” including mandatory polygraph tests for law enforcement officers.

“The text is balanced,” Zelenskyy said. “The most important thing is real tools, no Russian ties and the independence” of the anti-graft agencies.

The new draft underlines that the prosecutor general and his deputies cannot give orders to anti-graft agencies or interfere in their work.

Bowing to pressure and protests

The controversy surrounding the initial bill has threatened to undermine public trust in Ukraine’s leadership after more than three years of fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion. The protests haven’t called for Zelenskyy’s ouster, but they are the first major anti-government demonstrations since the war started in February 2022.

“It is important that we maintain unity,” Zelenskyy said in his post.

It was not immediately clear when the new bill will be voted on in the parliament, and the protests are likely to continue until the law is passed. At the protests on Thursday evening, the crowd was smaller than on previous days.

The unrest has come at a difficult time in the all-out war. Russia’s bigger army is accelerating its efforts to pierce Ukraine’s front-line defenses and is escalating its bombardment of Ukrainian cities.

The bigger picture

Ukraine is also facing a question mark over whether the United States will provide more military aid and whether European commitments can take up the slack, with no end in sight to the war.

Delegations from Russia and Ukraine met in Istanbul for a third round of talks in as many months Wednesday. But once again, the talks were brief and delivered no major breakthrough.

Fighting entrenched corruption is crucial for Ukraine’s aspirations to join the EU and maintain access to billions of dollars in Western aid in the war. It is also an effort that enjoys broad public support.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos expressed concern Wednesday over the law approved earlier this week, calling it “a serious step back.”

The Ukrainian branch of Transparency International criticized parliament’s decision, saying it undermines one of the most significant reforms since what Ukraine calls its Revolution of Dignity in 2014 and damages trust with international partners.

Deadly fighting grinds on

On Thursday, two women, aged 48 and 59, were killed and 14 other people were injured when Russian forces dropped four powerful glide bombs on Kostiantynivka, an industrial city in eastern Ukraine, and shelled it with artillery, Donetsk regional Gov. Vadym Filashkin said.

Russian planes also dropped two glide bombs on the center of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, on Thursday morning, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said. At least 42 people were wounded, including two babies, a 10-year-old girl and two 17 year olds, authorities said.

The southern city of Odesa, and Cherkasy in central Ukraine, were also hit overnight, authorities said. The drone and missile strikes on the cities wounded 11 people, including a 9-year-old, and damaged historic landmarks and residential buildings, officials said.

Ukraine has sought to step up its own long-range drone attacks on Russia, using domestic technology and manufacturing.

An overnight Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi killed two women and wounded 11 other people, local authorities said Thursday.

An oil depot was hit, officials said, without offering details.

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