NABU and SAPO: the Servant of the People says it will support Zelenskyy's bill

The faction of power Servant of the people will support the President's draft law Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the return of independence to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office. This was stated by the spokesperson for the Servant faction, Yulia Paliychuk in the comments Suspilne, responding to the Financial Times article.

"The Servant of the People faction will support the presidential draft law. The information that 70 MPs may not vote is not true. I do not understand where this number came from," the spokeswoman said.

According to her, the faction is ready to support the president's bill.

At the same time, an unnamed source in the faction's leadership said that there are indeed MPs among the "servants" who do not support the president's bill, but it is difficult to say their exact number.

"They are in a significant minority, but the reason is not that they are worried about revenge [of the anti-corruption agencies], but that they believe that procedurally the previous law has logic in the accountability of NABU and SAPO to the Prosecutor General. Anyway, we will have to vote again sooner or later, but with greater public outrage і negative signals from partners" the source explained.

Another interlocutor in the mono-majority told the media that some MPs are really afraid to vote for the bill, in particular because of the risk of criminal cases against them.

"You can start a criminal investigation into corruption, and you are already a corrupt official, the court and so on – no one cares, the message is sent," he says.

Another unnamed representative of the SN called the Financial Times article exaggerated: according to him, in a joint chat, parliamentarians wondered where 70 MPs who allegedly might not vote came from.

Earlier, the Financial Times, citing three people close to Zelenskyy, stated, that up to 70 MPs might not vote for it, fearing persecution by anti-corruption agencies.

One of the faction leaders and a senior official anonymously told the FT that MPs had "fear of revenge" after the interview with the head of the SAPO Oleksandr Klymenko To the public – in it, he said that the agency would analyze how the powers of anti-corruption agencies were limited.

"We will analyze all situations, events, statements, all accusations, claims against us. Down to the molecules. We will recreate the chronology of events by seconds and analyze it all," Klymenko said.

Later, in a comment to the FT, he assured: "Only people involved in corruption schemes have reason to fear NABU and SAPO. We have never engaged in political persecution. All NABU and SAPO investigations are based solely on facts and evidence, not on political positions or votes of MPs."

• Voting for a new draft law to restore the independence of NABU and SAPO, scheduled for July 31 in the Verkhovna Rada.