Zelenskyy MPs fearing prosecution refuse to vote on bill that restores independence of anti-corruption agencies.

https://www.ft.com/content/d8c2bb18-b62a-47af-8ede-984d75ab1acc

by ActiveTechnical8997

3 comments

  1. Scores of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s MPs are potentially refusing to vote to restore the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies, fearing the regained powers will be used by prosecutors to take revenge against them.

    According to three people close to Ukraine’s leader, as many as 70 MPs from the ruling Servant of the People party have signalled their unease with the measure, which rolls back a bill hastily pushed through parliament on Tuesday.

    The holdouts may put in jeopardy Zelenskyy’s efforts to undo a bill, widely criticised by Ukraine’s allies and civil society, that subordinated the country’s main anti-corruption agencies under a prosecutor-general chosen by the president.

    “People are scared to be unjustly prosecuted as a revenge,” said one of the top managers of Zelenskyy’s parliamentary faction.

    Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk said on Friday that the new bill would be considered during a session on July 31. But given the doubts over MPs backing the legislation, it may be delayed, or tabled at a time when there are too few MPs present to pass it.

    The faction leader and the senior official said that fear of retribution arose after the publication of an interview with the head of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (Sapo), one of the agencies whose independence was removed by the lawmakers’ votes and Zelenskyy’s signature on the law on Tuesday.

    Speaking to the Ukrainian public broadcaster [Suspilne](https://archive.ph/o/jCF4T/https://suspilne.media/1074785-mi-rozberemo-proces-uhvalenna-zakonu-no12414-posekundno-ekskluzivne-intervu-kerivnika-sap-oleksandra-klimenka/) on Thursday, head of Sapo, Oleksandr Klymenko, said his organisation was “collecting all the information” about how the original bill came about and vote unfolded.“We will analyse all the situations, events, statements, all the accusations, claims against us. Down to the molecules,” he said. “We will recreate the chronology of events second by second and give an analysis of all this.”

  2. What a mess this is. Credit to Ukrainian civil society for pushing back though. Political leaders need to be accountable and advocating for accountability does not mean one is undermining the war effort. We stand behind Ukraine in their fight for survival while Ukrainians are showing they can deal with these difficult internal issues effectively. That is progress.

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