Zelenskyy: Anti-Corruption Infrastructure Will Work Without Russian Influence
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has emphasized the need for an uncompromising fight against corruption and the elimination of Russian influence within Ukraine’s anti-corruption system, The Gaze reports.
His statement comes amid controversy over a recently adopted law that experts and officials fear may weaken the independence of key anti-corruption institutions.
“I spoke with NABU Director Semen Kryvonos, SAPO Prosecutor Oleksandr Klymenko, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, and Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk. We discussed various challenges, all of them,” Zelenskyy said in a statement late Monday.
“The anti-corruption infrastructure will work, only without Russian influence – it needs to be cleared of that. And there should be more justice,” he stressed.
The president reaffirmed that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) would continue their work, while calling on the Prosecutor General to ensure that “the inevitability of punishment for those who go against the law is actually ensured.”
“This is what Ukraine really needs. The cases that have been lying dormant must be investigated. For years, officials who have fled Ukraine have been casually living abroad for some reason – in very nice countries and without legal consequences – and this is not normal,” Zelenskyy noted.
He also pointed to long-stalled high-profile criminal cases worth billions of hryvnias and criticized the ongoing risk of sensitive information reaching Russian actors:
“There is no rational explanation for why criminal proceedings worth billions have been ‘hanging’ for years. And there is no explanation why the Russians can still get the information they need. Important is – without Russians. Important is – to have an inevitability of punishment and that society really sees it.”
His remarks follow the adoption of Law No. 12414 by Ukraine’s parliament on July 22. The legislation, which introduces changes to the Criminal Procedure Code, was passed by 263 MPs. Critics, including NABU head Semen Kryvonos, argue it undermines the independence of anti-corruption bodies and have called on Zelenskyy to veto the law.
The president previously signed the law, which pertains to the pretrial investigation of crimes involving missing persons under martial law. However, concerns persist that the measure could open the door to greater political interference in ongoing investigations.
As The Gaze previously reported, the new legislation grants the Prosecutor General sweeping powers over both NABU and SAPO. The adopted provisions pose a direct threat to NABU’s independence, undermining Ukraine’s European integration efforts.