Rada prepares bill to repeal controversial NABU/SAPO law
The Verkhovna Rada has prepared a bill that repeals the restrictions on the powers of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), introduced by the law adopted by the parliament and signed by the president on July 22, Member of Parliament Inna Sovsun (Holos faction) has said.
"The only quick way to roll back the situation is to adopt a new bill — which will cancel all the shameful changes No. 12414. My team prepared it overnight. This morning we have already sent it to other deputies for signature: Document card 1947711. Registration number 170768. Draft Law of Ukraine "On Amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine and the Law of Ukraine "On the Prosecutor's Office" on the restoration of the institutional independence of bodies conducting pre-trial investigation and procedural management in cases of corruption offenses," Sovsun wrote.
As reported, the Verkhovna Rada at its meeting on Tuesday supported by 263 votes in the second reading and in general draft law No. 12414, which limited the independence of the NABU and the SAPO. The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk immediately signed the law and sent it to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky for signature, while under normal practice this happens after consideration of blocking resolutions introduced by opponents.
A number of politicians and public figures, as well as representatives of the European Commission, have categorically opposed this bill and called on Zelenskyy to veto it. Protests against the bill were held in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro and Rivne on Tuesday.
Zelenskyy later signed this law. The document was published in the parliamentary publication Voice of Ukraine (Holos Ukrainy) on July 22. It comes into force on the day following its publication, that is, July 23.
Currently, people's deputies are initiating the collection of signatures and preparing a constitutional submission to the Constitutional Court of Ukraine regarding the law on narrowing the powers of NABU and SAPO.
