New Director of NABU Appointed by Cabinet of Ministers

During a special meeting, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine appointed Semen Kryvonos as the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) director. He previously served as the head of the State Urban Planning Service of Ukraine, according to a report by "Ukrainska Pravda" referencing the government meeting on Monday.

The Cabinet met specifically to discuss this single matter and unanimously supported Kryvonos' appointment, as recommended by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. The Prime Minister urged Kryvonos to appoint the runner-ups, Serhiy Gupyak and Roman Osypchuk, as his deputies. They had both made it to the final round of the competition as deputies to the NABU.

"Ukraine has now fulfilled all 7 EU recommendations that were determined upon obtaining the candidate status. This demonstrates our determination to move to the start of accession negotiations already this year," emphasized Shmyhal.

Before his appointment, Kryvonos was the head of Ukraine's State Urban Planning Service, responsible for issuing construction licenses. However, in 2014, he was implicated in a case involving an alleged bribe for land allocation.

The head of a village council in the Obukhiv district of Kyiv region was accused of colluding with Kryvonos, who was the head of the registration service of the local administration of justice, to demand a bribe of $120,000 in exchange for the allocation of a plot of land. Kryvonos denied any wrongdoing, and the Prosecutor General's Office later closed the case due to a lack of evidence.

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Furthermore, Kryvonos was connected to current deputy head of the OP Oleksiy Kuleba in a "Schemes" investigation, as Kryvonos' wife previously worked with Kuleba when he was at KMDA. Kryvonos stated that although he has known Kuleba for eight years, he has no professional relationship with him.