In one of the largest demonstrations against the Ukrainian government since Russia invaded more than three years ago, WSJ reports that more than 2,000 people gathered near the president’s office, shouting “shame” and “veto the law,” after President Zelensky signed a law gutting the country’s anti-corruption agency.
The contentious measure grants his office greater control over the country’s independent anti-corruption bodies, in a move that critics warn would hand his circle enormous influence over investigations.
The FT reports that lawmakers hastily voted on Tuesday in favor of legislation that eliminated the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and its partner organisation the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). The bodies will be placed under the wartime authority of the prosecutor-general, who is appointed by the president.
“What’s happening is the demolition of the anticorruption infrastructure in Ukraine,” said Daria Kaleniuk, co-founder of the nongovernmental Anticorruption Action Center, who helped establish NABU after the 2014 revolution toppled a pro-Russian leader. She added that in recent months the U.S. seems to have dropped its emphasis on anticorruption efforts in Ukraine, which has freed the government’s hand to defang NABU.
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