48 Ukrainian MPs Move to Repeal Controversial Anti-Corruption Law

Members of the Ukrainian Parliament have registered a motion calling for the repeal of the provisions of Law No. 12414 that restricted the activities of National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). According to Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, Head of the Parliamentary Committee on Freedom of Speech, the document was signed by 48 MPs – its aim is to restore the independence of the two anti-corruption agencies.

“The law on restoring the independence of NABU and SAPO has been signed by 48 MPs from different factions. We are registering it. Tomorrow it can be put to a vote. Turbo mode on. Your move, Mr. President,” Yurchyshyn wrote on Facebook.

MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak stated that a group of lawmakers has already submitted a draft law for registration that fully repeals the provisions related to the imposition of restrictions on the activities of NABU and SAPO, as set out in Law No. 12414.

According to him, the document will soon appear on the website of the Verkhovna Rada, and it has been signed by 48 MPs from the Holos, Servant of the People, European Solidarity, and Batkivshchyna parties. “A full repeal of all provisions related to NABU and SAPO in the criminal 12414,” he added.

If the draft law is considered under the standard procedure, it may reach the parliamentary floor no sooner than seven days from now.

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He was unable to specify when exactly the parliament might convene, noting that after the controversial vote, “MPs were sent on business trips.”

Earlier today Kyiv Post reported that Senators Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, and Lindsey Graham, a Republican, issued a joint statement after President Volodymyr Zelensky signed 12414.

“Ukraine has made enormous strides on its anti-corruption agenda since the Revolution of Dignity,” the senators said. “That progress, made even while fighting off Russian aggression, shows the strength of the Ukrainian people.”

“But we fear this law undermines much of that progress and goes against the expectations of both Ukrainian citizens and the international community,” they said.

Western allies, including the European Union and G7 nations, have warned that weakening Ukraine’s anti-corruption efforts could slow its progress toward EU accession and shake international confidence in the government’s reform agenda.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the move could hurt Ukraine’s chances of joining the European Union.

Ukraine formally applied to join the EU following Russia’s full-scale invasion in early 2022. Accession negotiations began in June 2024, with the fight against corruption considered one of the most important conditions.

Hastily passed by parliament on Tuesday, the legislation removes the independent status of NABU and SAPO, giving the Prosecutor General powers to oversee investigations, access case files, and even close cases based on defense requests.

The late-night signing came after thousands of demonstrators gathered for hours outside the presidential complex in Kyiv and in other cities – including Lviv, Odesa, and Dnipro – to protest the new law that many fear is a major blow to the country’s push to eliminate graft in government institutions.

NABU Director Semen Kryvonos urged Zelensky to veto the bill, warning it “effectively destroys” the agency’s independence. Despite the outcry, Zelensky said late Tuesday that NABU and SAPO would continue to operate but needed to be “cleared of Russian influence.”

On Wednesday, Zelensky, pressured by growing protests, said he would propose a bill to parliament that would include all the provisions necessary to help ensure the independence of the country’s anti-corruption institutions.

That seemed to placate, at least for the moment, the two disenfranchised agencies:

“We are grateful for the constructive dialogue and meetings that help foster joint efforts, said a joint statement from NABU and SAPO on Facebook on Wednesday.

Shaheen and Graham said Ukraine must avoid giving its critics more reasons to question international support.

“One of the most common arguments for cutting support to Ukraine is that the country is corrupt,” they said. “Ukraine is making progress, and we urge the government to avoid actions that would weaken that progress.”

“There continues to be strong bipartisan support for Ukraine,” they added, “but future US investment depends on trust in Ukraine’s institutions and its commitment to transparency,” the joint statement added.

Anti-Corruption Protests Enter Second Day

Protesters for registration gathered outside Kyiv’s presidential complex for the second day on Wednesday.

The nationwide protest swelled on its second day, with the Kyiv crowd spilling from the presidential complex onto neighboring Horodetsky Street – growing three to four times larger than the day before and reaching an estimated 10,000 – an unprecedented turnout only exceeded by the 2014 Euromaidan protests.

On the second day, protesters from a wider range of age groups joined the movement, compared to the mostly young crowd seen on day one. Their demand remained unchanged: slash Law 12414.

A placard that says, “God, what a shame – a total s**tshow” was seen during the protest. Others read “We’re Ukraine, not Russia” and “Shame.”

Protesters said they weren’t willing to wait for Zelensky’s announcement on Wednesday that he would submit a new bill next week to restore the independence of the agencies.