Kryvonos and Klymenko urged Zelenskyy to veto controversial bill No. 12414, but he signed it anyway
NABU Director Semen Kryvonos and Head of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office Oleksandr Klymenko met with President Zelenskyy and urged him not to sign the scandalous draft law No. 12414 on the elimination of the independence of the NABU and the SAPO.
According to Censor.NET, the head of the NABU said this in an interview with the BBC.
According to Kryvonos, he and Klymenko learned about the adoption of the law during a business trip, and "no one spoke to us, issued ultimatums, or anything of the sort."
They returned to Ukraine late in the evening, after the law had already been passed, with only President Zelenskyy’s signature remaining.
"Oleksandr Klymenko and I met with the president one after the other. We asked him not to sign this law and presented our arguments. These meetings were very brief, during which we expressed our concerns. However, by the time the meetings took place, the law limiting the powers of the SAPO and NABU had already been signed and published," said the NABU director.
Scandalous law No. 12414 on NABU and SAPO
On 22 July, the Verkhovna Rada passed draft law 12414, which eliminates the independence of the NABU and the SAPO.
In the evening, it was signed by President Zelenskyy.
NABU Director Semen Kryvonos called on the President not to sign the bill, as it would make NABU and SAPO dependent.
In Dnipro, people protested against the adoption of draft law 12414 by the Verkhovna Rada, which effectively means the elimination of the independence of the NABU and the SAPO.
A protest also began in Kyiv.
In a video address, Zelenskyy later said that the anti-corruption infrastructure in Ukraine would work. On 23 July, the law limiting the powers of the NABU and the SAPO came into force.
Later, President Zelenskyy said that on 23 July, he had gathered all the heads of law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies and agreed with them to work constructively.
Zelenskyy also said that he would submit a bill to the Verkhovna Rada that would "ensure the strength of the law enforcement system".
On 24 July, the Rada registered draft law No. 13531, which would abolish the elimination of independence of the NABU and the SAPO.
Later, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved a draft law that guarantees the independence of the anti-corruption agencies.
The Rada will consider Zelenskyy's draft law on 31 July 2025.
On July 31, the Verkhovna Rada approved the presidential bill restoring the independence of NABU and SAPO.
It was subsequently signed by the President.
