The Ukrainian parliament unanimously passed a law on Thursday restoring the independence of two anti-corruption agencies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky submitted the law last week following heavy criticism of a previously passed law.
Ukraine hopes the restoration law will defuse the biggest political crisis in the country since the Russian invasion in 2022.
The earlier law would have placed the investigative service NABU and prosecution service SAPO directly under the Prosecutor General. That position is appointed by the president. Critics feared that the government could influence high-level corruption cases in this way.
That led to the largest protests in the country since the outbreak of the war with Russia. Protests also continued after the announcement of the restoration law. For example, hundreds of people stood again at the presidential palace in Kyiv on Wednesday evening. They chanted, among other things, “shame” and “the power lies with the people.”
Pressure on Zelensky was also increased from abroad. European Commissioner Marta Kis, who is responsible for the enlargement of the European Union, previously said she had “serious concerns” about the first law. She called it “a serious step backwards.” Tackling corruption is one of the conditions for Ukraine to become an EU member.