"We will be one family" – Prosecutor General Kravchenko on SAPO independence elimination
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko commented on the draft law No. 12414, which was voted by the Verkhovna Rada, which effectively eliminates the independence of the anti-corruption bodies NABU and SAPO.
He said this at a briefing for journalists, Censor.NET reports.
According to Kravchenko, the SAPO is now becoming "one system".
"NABU is definitely not subordinate to the [Prosecutor General ]. The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, according to the Law of Ukraine on Prosecution, remains a department within the Office of the Prosecutor General. And we will be one family. They will work on their criminal proceedings, we will work on ours. And together, we will assist each other," the Attorney General said.
As an example, Kravchenko cited the case of former Minister of Justice Oleksii Chernyshov, suspected of abuse of office and receiving illicit benefits. The case is being investigated by SAPO.
"Some journalists reported before I became Prosecutor General that I was appointed to take the Chernyshov case away. But I promise you face to face that even after these changes, I will not take the case from Chernyshov. The investigation will continue as it was. I will see how they conclude it, and how SAPO prosecutors will proceed to support the state prosecution until the verdict," he said.
Attorney General Kravchenko also commented on the searches of certain NABU detectives.
"We are now working as efficiently as possible to avoid prolonging the process. Why was it different before? Because it was still a Soviet, political, system. Results had to be "gradually" shown. But now we can immediately take action and do our job," he added.
Searches in NABU and SAPO
On July 21, 2025, NABU employees underwent investigative actions without court orders, conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and the Office of the Prosecutor General.
Subsequently, the SSU reported that one of the heads of NABU’s interregional detective departments, Ruslan Mahamedrasulov, was exposed for conducting business with Russia.
The Security Service also announced the exposure of current MP from OPFL, Fedir Khrystenko, suspected of treason. According to law enforcement, he worked to strengthen Russian influence over NABU.
The Security Service of Ukraine also came to the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.
MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak said that the Rada wants to subordinate the NABU to the Prosecutor General at its meeting on 22 July. Shabunin stated that Zelensky is destroying the key anti-corruption achievements of the Revolution of Dignity.
NABU and SAPO emphasized that last-minute amendments were introduced to bill No. 12414, which effectively destroy SAPO’s independence and place the activities of both NABU and SAPO under the Prosecutor General’s control.
On 22 July, the Verkhovna Rada adopted bill 12414, which eliminates the independence of the NABU and the SAPO.
