"People asked for changes. We have responded." Zelensky assures that NABU and SAPO will be independent

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy assures that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office will not report to the Prosecutor General and that the public has been heard. He said this at a meeting with journalists on July 24 .

"We have prepared a draft law , which is based on the basic principles of independence of anti-corruption bodies. There are new provisions in this draft law that protect against Russian influence, primarily because of the cases that happened with some representatives of NABU," said the president.

This includes lie detector tests for all employees of anti-corruption bodies and law enforcement agencies, including the police, the State Bureau of Investigation, etc. who have relatives from Russia or in Russia.

"There is a proposal that every two years they will be subjected to a detector. All law enforcement officers and all anti-corruption activists should be on equal footing," the president said .

When asked whether the anti-corruption agencies will be subordinated to the Prosecutor General, Zelensky answered "no.".

He emphasized an important point: the business wanted searches to take place only through the judicial system. This refers to the rule on urgent searches, which stipulates that in exceptional cases, an investigator, coroner, or prosecutor has the right to enter a person's home or other property before the investigating judge issues a ruling.

"As an idea, it's a good one. But this rule stopped the entire law enforcement system - not only NABU, SAPO, it concerned all agencies. It was removed," Zelensky said .

The President emphasized that there should be truly independent anti-corruption bodies, but at the same time, they should meet the public demand for justice, act effectively and control what is happening within the structure itself.

"It is very important that society says. I respect the opinion of society. I think it's absolutely normal to react when people don't want something, when people don't like it <…> People said that everything should be according to the law. It was very important for me that we heard and responded adequately. People asked for changes. We responded," Zelensky said .

• on July 22, the Rada supported, and Zelenskyy immediately signed the scandalous law 12414, which effectively abolishes the independence of NABU and SAPO. This led to protests in major cities of Ukraine.
• On July 23, President promised to submit a bill to the Verkhovna Rada that would restore the independence of NABU and SAPO and "ensure the strength of the law enforcement system.".
• on July 24, Zelenskyy's draft law was registered. At the same time, the Rada registered a draft law from MPs .