In his evening address on Tuesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky assured his protesting public and disappointed international backers that he would fix the problem he caused by signing into law, earlier this month, a measure that removed the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies.
Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Kyiv last week after Ukraine’s legislature passed a law that stripped the autonomy of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), as lawmakers worried that their agents were subject to possible Russian influence.
JOIN US ON TELEGRAM
Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.
Faced with a domestic and international uproar, Zelensky proposed a draft law aimed at restoring that independence, while requiring polygraph tests for anti-corruption officials who have relatives in Russia.
Speaking to journalists in Kyiv last Friday, Zelensky said the tests would be administered every two years. He submitted the bill to the Verkhovna Rada on July 24.
In his evening address, he underscored the urgency of the legislative fix, following the EU’s announcement this week that it would freeze further aid to Kyiv until it fixed this apparent obstacle to democracy.
His remarks came shortly after meetings with international partners in which the touchy subject was at the forefront.
“We spoke with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney about my bill that guarantees the proper functioning of the anti-corruption infrastructure and law enforcement agencies, Zelensky said. “It is very important to pass this law on Thursday. All of our partners support it.
Czech Party Seeks to Strip Zelensky of Country's Highest Honor
“And today we discussed it with representatives of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, with our government officials,” he continued. “The outcome must be guaranteed.”
You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter
