Verkhovna Rada passes amendments to law on Prosecutor General’s Office

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has passed the amendments which allow the appointment of a person not having a law degree as the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.

258 MPs approved the bill No. 4645 on amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine regarding the activities of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine, the Ukrayinska Pravda online newspaper reports.

The bill was passed with technical amendments of its co-author MP Viktor Korol (Bloc of Petro Poroshenko faction).

“We have settled the conflict that arose in the issue of establishment of the State Bureau of Investigation. We allowed the investigating bodies of the prosecutor’s office to complete the investigation of the cases and then to submit them to a new State Bureau of Investigation… We have strengthened the responsibility for submission to the Bureau,” Korol said.

Cries “Shame!” had been heard in the session hall before the bill was put on vote.

President Petro Poroshenko signed the law within several hours after it had been adopted.

“After the law had been submitted from the Verkhovna Rada to the Presidential Administration, it was signed by the President,” Svyatoslav Tseholko, the President’s Spokesman, said.

As reported, the MPs failed yesterday to pass the bill, which removes qualification requirements for a candidate for the post of Prosecutor General.

March 29, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved dismissal of Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin.

Under the effective law, the Prosecutor General shall be appointed and dismissed from his post by the President of Ukraine with approval of the Verkhovna Rada.

After the lawmakers voiced the initiative to change the requirements for the Prosecutor General, EU Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said that the Prosecutor General should have work history and law degree.