Anticorruption in Ukraine: Zelensky defends the polemical law that shocks the EU

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky defended the new very controversial law on Wednesday suppressing the independence of anti -corruption organizations, which has caused the EU and the first major demonstrations in Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion more than three years ago. This measure sparked outcry within Ukrainian civil society, in a context of increasing government pressures on actors in the fight against corruption in this country, where this scourge is very present.

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, asked “explanations” from Volodymyr Zelensky who very quickly promulgated this text after her vote by Parliament on Tuesday, announced a spokesman on Wednesday. The latter stressed that respect for the rule of law and the fight against anti -corruption was at the heart of the European project. “As a candidate country, Ukraine is supposed to fully respect these standards. There can be no compromise, “insisted this spokesperson for the European Commission.

Earlier in the day, the Ukrainian head of state nevertheless taken up the cause for the new law which taxes these structures against corruption with ineffectiveness. “We all have a common enemy: the Russian occupants. And to defend the Ukrainian state, a sufficiently solid order protection system is needed, capable of guaranteeing a real feeling of justice, “he argued.

Volodymyr Zelensky assured “hearing what the company says” and promised to “settle existing contradictions”, after having received the leaders of the organizations responsible for maintaining order, including the anti -corruption structures concerned by this law. He insisted on the importance of this text which removes the independence of the National Anti -Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) by placing them under the direct authority of the Attorney General, appointed by the President. “Criminal procedures should not drag on for years without leading to legal verdicts. And those who act against Ukraine should not feel comfortable or safe from the inevitability of punishment, “he said.

The Nabu and the SAP, whose leaders participated in this meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, for their part reiterated their criticism of the new legislation in a joint declaration. “Unambiguous legislative measures are necessary to restore the guarantees revoked by the Parliament,” hammered the two structures, in a press release released after the meeting.

Tuesday evening, a few hours after the vote, a thousand people, many of whom have gathered in the center of kyiv as a protest, the first importance of the Russian invasion in 2022.

Since its independence in 1991, Ukraine has experienced several magnitude uprisings in favor of democracy, the last of which, in 2014, has led to the fall of a Prorussian president. However, since the start of the invasion, significant gatherings have been prohibited under the martial law in force in Ukraine. A new protest demonstration is scheduled for Wednesday evening.

Some Ukrainian analysts have warned that the new law was likely to block their country’s membership in the EU, or even potentially lead to a reduction in financial aid to Ukraine, crucial for its ability to defend themselves. “Limiting the independence of anti -corruption agencies hinders Ukraine on the EU path,” German Minister of Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul confirmed on X on X on X on Wednesday. Some fear that a political crisis around this legislation will benefit Russia by undergoing unity due to Ukraine. “It is a gift made to Putin,” criticized Oleksandra Matvïtchouk, the director of the Center for Civil Liberties, a Ukrainian NGO who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.

The Nabu began its activities in 2015, after the Proeuropian revolution of the Maidan the previous year. Since its creation, this body has uncovered major cases of corruption, including in the army and the government. However, few of them led to legal sentences.