By Dan Peleschuk
KYIV (Reuters) -President Volodymyr Zelenskiy restored the independence of Ukraine’s two main anti-corruption agencies on Thursday, moving to defuse a political crisis that has shaken faith in his wartime leadership and worried Western partners.
Thousands of protesters rallied in Kyiv and other cities in recent days in a rare show of discontent after lawmakers led by Zelenskiy’s ruling party rushed through amendments last week defanging the respected agencies.
Zelenskiy reversed course after the outcry, under pressure from top European officials, who warned that Ukraine was jeopardising its bid for European Union membership by curbing the powers of its anti-graft authorities.
He signed a new bill on Thursday shortly after lawmakers approved it 331 to 0, saying the legislation “guarantees the absence of any kind of outside influence (or) interference”.
“Ukraine is a democracy – there are definitely no doubts,” Zelenskiy said on the Telegram messaging app.
Thursday’s law reverses amendments that had given his hand-picked general prosecutor the power to transfer cases away from the agencies and reassign prosecutors, a step critics alleged had been designed to protect his allies from prosecution.
Eradicating graft and shoring up the rule of law are key requirements for Kyiv to join the EU, which Ukrainians see as critical to their future as they fend off a Russian invasion.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described Thursday’s law as “a welcome step” and urged Ukraine to continue its reform drive.
PUBLIC PRESSURE
Popular demonstrations had continued even after Zelenskiy submitted the new bill last week, with hundreds rallying near the presidential offices in Kyiv late on Wednesday chanting “Shame!” and “The people are the power!”.
Ukrainians, following a night of deadly Russian air strikes, also rallied near parliament ahead of Thursday’s vote to pressure lawmakers to approve the new measure.
After it passed, they burst into cheers and applause.
“Some fight on the front, and some need to put them (authorities) in their place here,” said demonstrator Mykola Pominchuk, 42.
Speaking at the rostrum before voting, opposition member Yaroslav Yurchyshyn thanked Ukrainians for stopping authorities “one step from the abyss” of autocracy.
Some lawmakers appeared in parliament with handmade placards mimicking those carried by protesters.
CORRUPTION FIGHTERS
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) have stepped up a closely watched campaign against graft since Russia’s February 2022 invasion.
They have brought charges against lawmakers and senior government officials, including a then-deputy prime minister who was accused last month of taking a $345,000 kickback.
Speaking to Reuters last Friday, after Zelenskiy’s reversal, NABU chief Semen Kryvonos said he expected continued pressure on his agency from corrupt forces uninterested in cleaning up Ukraine.
He said he and other anti-corruption officials felt a greater sense of responsibility following the protests, but also called on the country’s leadership to help their effort.
“This responsibility must be shared with the government, which needs to react and say, ‘Okay, there’s corruption here – let’s destroy it.'”
(Additional reporting by Yurii Kovalenko; Editing by Saad Sayeed, Giles Elgood and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
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