Volodimir Zelenski eliminated Tuesday by surprise and urgently. And with the same urgency he wanted Thursday to correct the mess that he has caused. After suffering the first public protests in three and a half years of war, after receiving for the first time the unanimous criticism of its European allies, President Ukraine has registered in Parliament a legal reform to ensure that the National Anti -Corruption Office (NABU) and the Anti -Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) can act outside the control of political power.
The absolute majority of the Zelenski party in La Rada (the Legislative Chamber), servant of the people, took a proposal of law on Tuesday, the now infamous Law 12414, which places the NABU and the toad under the control of the Attorney General, a political position related to the President. These anti -corruption organisms were created after the Proeuropean Revolution of the Maidan, in 2014, and both a majority of citizens and the EU, consider them fundamental for the reform of a state that still suffers systemic corruption.
The president justified the measure as a way to prevent Russian agents from infiltrating anti -corruption agencies. With this justification, a great raid was produced on Monday against 19 NABU agents and the toad by the Security Services (SSU) of the Ministry of Interior. That operation caused the first negative reaction from abroad: the G-7 ambassadors for Ukraine issued a note warning that the independence of these organisms against fraud in the administration could be at risk.
On Tuesday afternoon law 12414 was approved and a few hours, to protest. Even more people, especially young people, protest again the next day. When Wednesday’s demonstrations began, Zelenski announced that he would present a new law.
Zelenski communicated this noon through his social networks that in the next few hours would send a law proposal to La Rada that will guarantee “that there is no Russian interference and the complete independence of the NABU and the toad.” In addition to responding quickly to the protests, the president also wanted to deactivate a law proposal that 48 deputies of several parties had registered this Wednesday to recover the autonomy of the anti -corruption offices.
The main activists convened by the demonstrations had warned at first that they still had to read Zelenski’s law to support him. . Most likely, Zelenski’s proposal can be voted on Friday.
The main instigators of the protests have recognized that the president’s change is positive. “The text [de la nueva ley] It is balanced, this is thanks to you, who have gone one step ahead of our deputies, ”he written to his followers on social networks the activist and celebrity among young Igor Lachenkov.
Zelenski has informed the German Foreign Minister Friedrich Merz, of the content of the legal reform. Both the EU ambassador to kyiv, for Ukraine they have stressed this Thursday that, after meeting with Foreign Minister Andrii Sibiga, and with the Prime Minister, Yulia Sviridenko, they are satisfied with the reform that will be proposed.
NABU and SAPU have issued a statement late in the afternoon in which they assure that they have participated in the draft of the Zelenski bill and that this does guarantee their independence and that of the Anti -Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. Both agencies ask the deputies to support the new law. The text specifies that the Attorney General’s Office does not have the capacity to instruct anti -corruption institutions. The draft of the law also guarantees extraordinary supervision measures for the SSU to determine that NABU and SAPU officials have no links with Russia.
Zelenski, who on Wednesday admitted that he was aware of the discomfort that had caused his decision, has reiterated that the important thing is to preserve the unity of society while a war against Russia for Russia for the survival of Ukraine: “It is important now that we maintain unity. It is important that we preserve independence. It is important that we respect the position of all Ukraine.”
The next immediate step that Zelenski must give to satisfy the European Commission, on the way to belonging to the EU, is to approve the appointment of the Director of the Office against tax crimes, the baby. The candidate chosen by the baby’s supervision council, with the approval of the IMF, is Oleksandr Tsivinski. The government has so far refused to sign its appointment. This has led to civil organizations and media in Ukraine to make their complaints public for what they consider to be a maneuver of the president to block the choice of a person apart from his circle of influence.
