Zelenskyy to Submit Bill Aimed at Strengthening Anti-Corruption Bodies’ Independence

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced plans to submit a new bill to the Verkhovna Rada  that aims to enhance the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions and shield law enforcement from external influence.

He underlined that the proposed legislation would include clear safeguards to ensure the institutional independence of bodies such as the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).

According to Zelenskyy, the legislative initiative will serve as a direct response to public concerns voiced across social networks, media, and civil society in recent weeks.

“Everyone has heard what people are saying—on social media, in conversations, on the streets. It all matters,” he stated.

The President emphasized that the draft law will reinforce the legal system and eliminate any Russian interference in the operations of Ukrainian law enforcement bodies.

Zelenskyy noted that the proposal follows a series of in-depth consultations with key figures across the government and law enforcement sectors.

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“There have been many meetings with government officials and heads of law enforcement agencies,” he said. “I needed each of them to provide their arguments. Importantly, they also voiced long-standing concerns to one another.”

Participants in these discussions included the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), NABU, SAPO, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NAZK), the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI), and the Prosecutor General’s Office.

According to the President, the heads of these institutions will jointly develop an action plan with specific steps to strengthen the rule of law. He also called on them to propose additional legal norms for inclusion in the final version of the bill.

While Parliament is currently in recess until late August, Oleksiy Honcharenko, a People’s Deputy from the European Solidarity party and member of Ukraine’s delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, stated that an emergency session is being prepared for next week to review and potentially adopt the new legislation.

Earlier, on July 22, protests erupted across major Ukrainian cities after President Zelenskyy signed Bill No. 12414 into law, granting the Prosecutor General expanded authority over NABU and SAPO. Critics argue the legislation undermines the independence of anti-corruption institutions.

Demonstrations took place in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Poltava, and other cities, with calls for the law to be vetoed. Despite martial law, citizens gathered to express concern over what they view as a rollback of key reforms.