Ukraine pledges to extend statute of limitations in corruption cases to join EU
Ukraine has pledged to extend the statute of limitations in corruption cases in 2026 and to cancel the automatic closure of criminal cases due to the expiration of pre-trial investigation terms in order to join the European Union.
This is stated in the text of the joint statement of European Commissioner for Justice Marta Kos and Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Taras Kachka, the Ukrainian News agency reports.
The EU and Ukraine have recognized that the implementation of anti-corruption and rule of law policies should be carried out as part of the EU accession process, in particular through the implementation of the rule of law roadmap. Looking ahead, and in line with this framework and the priorities identified by the Member States, Ukraine will take steps to further prioritize the implementation of the most relevant and effective measures over the next year, in particular, it should adopt comprehensive amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code and other legislation to ensure speedy and quality justice. This should be done by:
- abolishing the automatic closure of criminal cases due to the expiration of pre-trial investigation terms and reviewing the existing terms;
- removing procedural obstacles in criminal proceedings, in particular in high-level corruption cases;
- extending statutes of limitations and strengthening the grounds for their interruption and suspension in corruption cases and corruption-related offenses, in accordance with standards;
- strengthening the independence of NABU and SAPO and protecting their jurisdiction from circumvention and undue influence by clearly delimiting investigative powers between pre-trial investigation bodies and establishing clear rules for preventing and resolving conflicts of jurisdiction in criminal proceedings;
- expanding the jurisdiction of NABU and SAPO to all high-risk positions based on an available independent assessment.
Ukraine has also committed to provide NABU with effective access to unforeseen, official and high-quality forensic examinations.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, the European Commission recognized Ukraine's significant progress on its way to the European Union, but emphasized the need to accelerate reforms.