Coordinated actions of SSU, Prosecutor General’s Office, and SBI signal government’s intent to undermine independence of anti-corruption bodies – Transparency International Ukraine
Transparency International Ukraine has condemned pressure on Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies as unacceptable.
This is stated in a statement by the anti-corruption organisation published on Facebook, Censor.NET reports.
"The recent coordinated actions of the SSU, Prosecutor General’s Office, and State Bureau of Investigation signal the authorities’ intent to undermine the independence of anti-corruption bodies established after the Revolution of Dignity and to use forceful methods to obtain information and influence investigations involving top officials. Transparency International Ukraine publicly declares the inadmissibility of pressure on anti-corruption agencies," the statement reads.
The organization noted that on July 21, SSU officers, Prosecutor General’s Office staff, and SBI agents conducted searches without court warrants on several National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) detectives, and also initiated an unscheduled inspection of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office’s (SAPO) compliance with state secrecy.
"Official information in the public space indicates that the main goal of these actions was to broadly influence NABU and SAPO activities.
1. Conducting 70 searches on NABU and SAPO representatives without court warrants demonstrates the mass nature of pressure by the SBU and Prosecutor General’s Office on law enforcement anti-corruption bodies.
2. During the searches, SSU officers unlawfully used physical force against a NABU detective, who did not resist.
3. Violations and assumptions in the official communication of law enforcement agencies.
4. Conducting an unscheduled inspection of compliance with state secrets by the SAPO without prior notification to its leadership constitutes a violation and creates a risk of compromising anti-corruption investigations as a whole.
5. Suspicions from the SBI in traffic accident cases from 2021 and 2023 indicate a systemic pattern of pressure from various law enforcement agencies," Transparency International Ukraine stated.
The organisation added that in view of this, it is already clear that today's comprehensive campaign of the SBU, the Prosecutor General's Office and the SBI violates a number of provisions of Ukrainian legislation and signals an intent to compromise the work of anti-corruption institutions.
"This calls into question the further possibility of independent work of the NABU, the SAPO and other bodies of the system, effective bringing of anti-corruption investigations against top officials to a verdict and undermines Ukraine’s achievements in fighting corruption over the past 11 years," the statement reads.
Transparency International Ukraine also emphasises that such actions are especially harmful for Ukraine during the war, as they destroy the stability of institutions that ensure the integrity and development of the state.
"We call on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to publicly guarantee the independence of anti-corruption bodies and demand that the Security Service of Ukraine and the Prosecutor General's Office stop the illegal pressure," the organisation said.
Searches at NABU and SAPO
Earlier it was reported that on 21 July 2025, NABU employees were subjected to investigative actions conducted by the SSU and the Prosecutor General's Office without court orders.
Later, the SSU reported that one of the heads of the NABU's interregional detective departments, Ruslan Magamedrasulov, had been exposed for doing business with Russia.
The Security Service announced the exposure of the current MP from the OPFL, Fedir Khrystenko. He is suspected of high treason. According to law enforcement, he worked to strengthen Russian influence on the NABU.
The Security Service of Ukraine also came to the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.
