The European Union is concerned about the decision of the Ukrainian authorities to transfer access to all cases of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NACB) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SACPO) to the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO).
On Tuesday, July 22, the European Commission Spokesperson Guillaume Mercier stated this, as quoted by RBC-Ukraine.
According to him, the NACB and the SACPO are crucial for Ukraine's reform program. They must act independently to fight corruption.
Mercier stressed that the European Union is concerned about Ukraine's actions regarding the above-mentioned bodies.
He recalled that the EU provides Ukraine with significant financial assistance, subject to progress in transparency, democratic governance and judicial reform.
The European Commission spokesman added that Ukraine's accession to the EU also requires strong potential in the fight against corruption.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, today, July 22, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved in the second reading draft law No. 12414, which grants the Prosecutor General access to the cases of the NACB and the SACPO. In addition, he receives the authority to independently sign suspicions against officials.
As a reminder, on July 21, the NACB stated that the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO), the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), and the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) are conducting at least 70 searches of the NACB employees.
Also, on July 21, the SACPO reported that the SSU came to them with an inspection and received access to data on all operations of the prosecutor's office and the NACB.
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