Zelenskyy tightens his grip, casting shadow over country’s future course - Economist
The haste in adopting the law eliminating the independence of the NACB and the SAPO shocked even members of President Zelenskyy's team.
This was reported by The Economist, Censor.NET reports.
The material was published with the headline "Outrage in Ukraine over government attacks on anti-corruption bodies" and the subtitle "President Zelenskyy tightens his control".
"Voting to undermine Ukraine's most important anti-corruption reforms casts a shadow over the country's future course," the publication notes.
The journalists described a series of events that preceded it.
"In early July, the government blocked the appointment of Oleksandr Tsyvinsky, a detective with a good reputation, to the vacant position of director of the Bureau of Economic Security. This was followed by the apparently politically motivated detention of Vitaliy Shabunin, a well-known anti-corruption activist. In mid-July, government reshuffles strengthened ultra-loyalists, including the new Prime Minister. Later, on July 21, the Security Service of Ukraine and the Office of the Prosecutor General conducted dozens of searches targeting employees of the NACB and SAPO, the investigative and prosecutorial pillars of Ukraine's independent anti-corruption system, created under Western supervision after the 2014 Maidan revolution, accusing them of corruption and illegal ties to Russia," the article says.
The authors call these "disturbing episodes" that could otherwise be "lost in the chaos that defines Ukraine's domestic politics and competitive law enforcement."
The journalists note that while high-profile investigations are ongoing, "without full knowledge of the evidence, actual criminal acts cannot be ruled out."
"However, the decision of the authorities to launch a full-scale offensive against the Maidan reforms indicates that something sinister is happening. Sources suggest that the trigger for the bill could be the opening of investigations by the NACB against people inside the Presidential Office," the authors continued.
"The attack on Ukraine's anti-corruption infrastructure has shocked many in Mr. Zelenskyy's own team. One official suggested that the haste and scope of the bill was reminiscent of the infamous January 16, 2014, protest-banning laws, one of the last acts of Viktor Yanukovych's government before the dictator was forced to flee Kyiv by helicopter," The Economist noted.
Another source suggested that the Presidential Office "decided to take advantage of a moment of impunity and opportunity." This, he said, happened against the backdrop of a "warming" in Ukraine's relations with President Trump.
"Now attention has shifted to internal enemies," he added.
The publication notes that the EU, one of the key sources of funding for Ukraine, put pressure on the Ukrainian leader to suspend the law's implementation.
Thus, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Martha Kos made it clear on social media that the law would negatively affect Ukraine's negotiations on EU membership.
The G7 ambassadors issued a statement expressing "grave concern" over these developments.
The ambassadors of the G7 countries in Kyiv issued a joint statement expressing "serious concern" over the events in Ukraine. However, such rhetoric "had little impact," the article says.
"But such rhetoric has had little impact," the publication concluded.
On July 22, the Verkhovna Rada passed draft law 12414, which eliminates the independence of the NACB and the SAPO.
In the evening, it was signed by President Zelenskyy.
The NACB Director Semen Kryvonos urged the president not to sign the bill, as it would make NACB and SAPO dependent.
In Dnipro, people protested against the adoption of draft law No. 12414 by the Verkhovna Rada, which effectively means the elimination of the independence of the NACB and the SAPO.
A protest also began in Kyiv.
In a video address, Zelenskyy later said that Ukraine's anti-corruption infrastructure would work. On July 23, the law on limiting the powers of the NACB and the SAPO came into force.
