Some Members of the Ukrainian Parliament have admitted they made a mistake by voting for a law that limits the powers of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
Source: MPs Tamila Tasheva; Zhan Beleniuk; Serhii Shtepa; Rostyslav Tistyk; Vasyl Mokan; Pavlo Bakunets on social media
Details: Tamila Tasheva, an MP from the Holos (Voice) party, wrote that her vote in favour had provoked “a lot of angry and emotional reactions, including the use of profanities”. She also added that she supports draft law #13533, which restores all procedural powers to NABU and SAPO and guarantees their independence.
Quote from Tasheva: "Yes, I voted for this law. It was not an easy decision, made under tight deadlines and limited information. Meanwhile, and this has been acknowledged by many, the effectiveness of the system in recent years has raised many questions.
It is now clear that not all of the process was properly coordinated."
Details: Zhan Beleniuk, an MP from the Servant of the People party, also wrote that he had made a mistake and “feels personally responsible and is not looking to make excuses”.
“My task now is to help rectify the situation as quickly and transparently as possible,” he added.
Serhii Shtepa, an MP from the Servant of the People party, explained that he had believed draft law No.12414 would “help optimise the distribution of workload among law enforcement agencies” so that NABU and SAPO could focus on high-priority cases.
He also said that he “thought the text had been agreed with partners at the highest level”. He added that he is now waiting for a vote on a new draft law.
MP Rostyslav Tistyk from Servant of the People also wrote that sometimes erroneous decisions are made in politics.
“The strength of democracy is that society has a voice, and politicians must hear that voice! I await the president’s draft law,” he added.
Servant of the People MP Vasyl Mokan added that he “personally considers his vote for #12414 his first serious miscalculation during his term” and will vote to rectify the situation.
Pavlo Bakunets from the Dovira (Trust) party called for a parliamentary session to be convened and urged that the opinion of citizens be taken into account. He added that a better concept for procedural relations between the Prosecutor General’s Office and SAPO should be found.
Background:
On 21 July, employees of the Security Service of Ukraine and the Prosecutor General’s Office conducted approximately 80 searches targeting 19 employees of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau in various oblasts of Ukraine.On 22 July, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) voted in favour of draft law No. 12414, making NABU and SAPO dependent on the decisions of the prosecutor general. On the evening of 22 July, President Zelenskyy signed the document.Protests were held in many cities across Ukraine after the law was passed.On 23 July, the protests continued.
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