Members of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine should immediately consider and adopt the draft law No. 13533 submitted by the President of Ukraine, which should restore the independence of the NABU and the SAPO. This was stated by Ukrainian politician, public figure and former MP Taras Stetskiv on his Facebook page.
According to the politician, in this way MPs will be able to demonstrate high responsibility for their actions to the state and Ukrainian society. Stetskiv emphasized that the issue of restoring the independence of anti-corruption bodies is of critical importance today. In view of this, the July 31 meeting of the Verkhovna Rada should be attended by all MPs, regardless of their factional affiliation or political position. At the same time, there can be no excuses for MPs who refuse to participate in the meeting and vote.
“Refusal to participate in the meeting and vote will be interpreted by society as a betrayal of their voters, bordering on high treason. After all, the vast majority of MPs, when entering politics, declared their intention to fight uncompromisingly against corruption in the highest echelons of power ” Stetskiv emphasized.
He also noted that the refusal to restore the independence of NABU and SAPO jeopardizes Ukraine’s reputation in the eyes of our Western partners, international assistance and our European integration aspirations. “To the President’s credit, he quickly realized what the mistake was and quickly offered a way out. And while there will definitely be reputational and rating losses, they will be smaller the sooner this mistake is corrected. However, the solution now depends not only on the President. The final decision is in the hands of the parliament,” the former MP emphasized.
As a reminder, on July 22, the Verkhovna Rada passed draft law No. 12414, which significantly expands the powers of the Prosecutor General regarding the activities of the NABU and the SAPO. The same evening, Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the law, despite public protests in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv, Odesa, and other cities of Ukraine. On July 24, the President submitted an alternative draft law No. 13533, which aims to restore the independence of the NABU and the SAPO. It is scheduled for consideration by the Verkhovna Rada on July 31.
