NABU Director: Attacks will continue, but will be more sophisticated

The director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, Semen Kryvonos, is confident that after the adoption of a new law that will restore the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, attacks on these bodies by the authorities will not cease. He expressed this opinion... expressed in an interview with Suspilne.

"The attacks will continue – but they will be more subtle. The electrification of society will continue, as will the messages that NABU and SAP are ineffective, that 'you voted for the wrong people, they are doing nothing, achieving no results'. Discrediting will intensify even further to prepare Ukrainian society for the fact that, ultimately, it's time to reform [us]," said Kryvonos.

He added that the leadership of the NABU and SAP intends to make these bodies more effective in order to prevent future attacks.

"We may not be able to withstand a future attack – we are clearly aware and understand this. Therefore, there are two components: to work and to communicate with society. To communicate with the people who support us now," he said.

The director of the NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau) urged members of parliament to adopt the new draft law, which will restore the independence of anti-corruption bodies, both in principle and as a whole.

"If there is only a first reading, it can actually prolong this process indefinitely and create additional risks for us. Because during all this time we cannot investigate cases effectively," Kryvonos explained.

• July 22, the Council supported, and Zelenskyy signed Law No. 12414, the amendments to which abolish the independence of the NABU and SAP. 263 MPs voted in favor of the decision. This led to... protest actions in large cities of Ukraine.
• On July 23, the president stated that he had "heard the street," and promised to submit a draft law to the Verkhovna Rada that will restore the independence of the NABU and SAP, and also "ensure the strength of the law enforcement system".
• July 24th, he approved the text of the draft law, and later submitted it to the Verkhovna Rada for consideration. Simultaneously, in the Council registered a draft law from members of parliament, which should restore the independence of NABU and SAP.