Ukraine’s anti-corruption chiefs call on Zelenskyy to veto the bill that strips their agencies’ independence

The Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), Semen Kryvonos, and the Head of the Prosecutor General’s Office, Oleksandr Lysenko have publicly called on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to veto bill №12414, passed by parliament on July 22, 2025, which subordinates the NABU and the SAPO to the Prosecutor General’s Office.

Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk has signed the law passed at Tuesday’s session that introduces amendments to Ukraine’s Criminal Procedure Code, including provisions that strip anti-corruption agencies of their independence.

“Effectively, two independent institutions have been put into a dependent mode. We are categorically against this. We ask the president not to sign this bill. We truly want to see a bright future for Ukraine,” Kryvonos stated.

Klymenko, the head of SAPO, noted that his office and NABU “had two elements of independence – the absence of political influence and defined jurisdiction.” According to him, the new legislation has nullified both.

Kryvonos said that if the president does sign the bill into law, they will work with international partners to restore the agencies’ independence. He specified that appeals have already been made to the European Union, the United States, and the International Monetary Fund.

He also added that information “about the planned attack was known.”

“We knew about this, we were preparing, and we informed our partners,” the NABU director said.

By way of background, the Anti-Corruption Center, a non-government organiztion, reported that Ukraine’s parliament on Tuesday passed a law that critics charge will destroy key anti-corruption reforms by subordinating the country’s independent investigative bodies to the Prosecutor General.

On Monday, July 21, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) conducted approximately 80 searches targeting 19 NABU employees across the country. The SBU stated the raids were conducted without court warrants to prevent “information leaks” and were part of an investigation into state treason, illegal trade with Russia, and corruption.

Ambassadors from the G7 nations expressed “serious concern” over the SBU’s actions against NABU and stated their intention to discuss the developments with government leaders.

The events follow another recent controversy involving the government’s refusal to appoint Oleksandr Tsyvinskyi as the new director of the Bureau of Economic Security (BEB). The Cabinet rejected Tsyvinskyi, the winner of an independent selection process, citing unspecified “information provided by the SBU.” The newly appointed Prime Minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, has maintained that the government’s procedure “corresponded with laws and regulations.”

A June 2024 poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found that at least 43% of Ukrainians believe the situation with democracy has worsened under President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s leadership.