Zelensky's bill on independence of NABU and SAPO registered in the Rada: main points

A draft law №13533 on strengthening the powers of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office has appeared on the Verkhovna Rada website. Its author is President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The NABU noted, that they participated in the preparation of the text of the document together with representatives of the SAPO. They called on the Rada to adopt the President's initiative as a whole as soon as possible, which will prevent threats to criminal proceedings currently being investigated by detectives.
"Draft law 13533, submitted by the President as urgent, restores all procedural powers and guarantees of independence of the NABU and the SAPO," the statement said .
Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk said, that the document will be considered by the parliament at the next plenary session, which will take place "much earlier than in a month.".
The draft law proposes to make certain changes to the Criminal Code, as its current version contains "potential risks for the effective functioning of the anti-corruption infrastructure," according to the explanatory note.
The purpose of the document is to "strengthen the institutional independence" of the NABU and the SAPO, as well as to ensure reliable protection of their activities from Russian influence and interference.
In particular, the draft law proposes to return the Deputy Prosecutor General – Head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (for SAPO prosecutors) to the term of the head of the prosecutor's office.
In addition,, the Prosecutor General will no longer be able to request materials of pre-trial investigations from the NABU detective units and internal control unit. He is also prohibited from transferring investigations from NABU's jurisdiction to another body, unless there are objective reasons for this during martial law.
The right to transfer the investigation to another body is vested in the Deputy Prosecutor General, the Head of the SAPO, or the Prosecutor General himself.
The NABU detective is obliged to execute orders and instructions only of the SAPO prosecutor, which are provided in writing. Failure to do so entails statutory liability and is grounds for removal from the pre-trial investigation.
The NABU's Detective Unit, Operational and Technical Unit, and Internal Control Unit carry out investigative actions and covert investigative actions upon written instructions from a detective or prosecutor of the SAPO.
The document has already been sent to the relevant committee of the Verkhovna Rada.
- on July 22, the Rada supported, and Zelenskyy signed law No. 12414, which abolishes the independence of the NABU and the SAPO. The decision was voted for by 263 MPs. 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, he agreed on the text of the bill and promised to submit it to the Verkhovna Rada for consideration. At the same time, the Rada registered a draft law from MPs, that would restore NABU and SAPO independence.
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