"Lozovyi’s amendments" must be cancelled and powers of anti-corruption bodies strengthened, - NABU and SAPO statement
The NABU and the SAPO emphasise the importance of legislative changes aimed at removing obstacles to the fight against corruption, namely the full and final cancellation of the so-called "Lozovyi's amendments" and the granting of the head of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office the right to sign extradition requests.
This is said in a joint statement by the NABU and the SAPO, Censor.NET reports.
"These changes are critical for ensuring effective justice in criminal proceedings related to top corruption. It should be noted that this is part of Ukraine's international commitments. In particular, the elimination of the 'Lozovyi amendments' will allow the prosecutor to return the authority to extend the pre-trial investigation without the need to apply to the investigating judge. This will make it impossible to automatically close proceedings due to the formal expiration of the investigation, which currently depends on procedural restrictions," the statement said.
It is also noted that the NABU and the SAPO support the initiative to amend the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine to the part that the investigation period within the maximum 12 months required to collect evidence should be determined by the prosecutor's decision. After all, it is the prosecutor who is responsible for the completeness and quality of the evidence collected.
It is important to extend the new rules, which will be in force after the "Lozovyi amendments" are cancelled, to all criminal proceedings that are under investigation or trial, except for cases that have already been closed.
"In addition, the NABU supports the proposal to grant the head of the SAPO - the Deputy Prosecutor General - the right to send requests for extradition of persons suspected or accused of corruption offences investigated by NABU detectives.
Implementation of these initiatives will ensure the inevitability of punishment for top corruption crimes and generally strengthen the capacity of the anti-corruption infrastructure," the NABU and SAPO added.
