OECD warns Ukraine’s law on NABU, SAPO may harm defense investments, reconstruction aid

This warning came in a letter to Deputy Head of the President's Office Iryna Mudra, obtained by European Pravda.

Head of the OECD Anti-Corruption Division Julia Fromholz voiced “deep concern about recent developments” in the letter dated July 22, referring to draft law No. 12414 on NABU and SAPO, signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

She stated the law weakens the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions. Fromholz warned that such changes could signal Kyiv’s failure to meet its commitments.

She said the law puts Ukraine’s chances of joining the OECD at risk.

“If this letter reaches you after the law’s signing, we strongly urge legislative steps to restore the independence of anti-corruption agencies. I urge you to treat this matter with the utmost seriousness,” she wrote.

Fromholtz stressed the risks if Kyiv fails to act.

"If [the issue] left unresolved it would not only risk undermining Ukraine’s OECD Anti-Bribery Convention accession prospects and its efforts to join the OECD, but also damage its credibility among international partners, particularly those considering investment in Ukraine’s defence sector and long-term reconstruction," Fromholz added.

Background

On July 22, Zelenskyy signed into law a controversial bill passed by the Verkhovna Rada that significantly curtails the independence of NABU and SAPO. Several provisions shift key powers to the Prosecutor General’s Office — placing both bodies under the influence of the executive.

The bill — draft law No. 12414 — amends the Criminal Code to:

• Allow the Prosecutor General to remove cases from NABU and assign them to other bodies;
• Effectively give the Prosecutor General supervisory control over SAPO, including the power to reassign its prosecutors;
• Grant the Prosecutor General authority to issue binding written instructions to NABU detectives;
• Permit the Prosecutor General to unilaterally close high-profile cases.

Additionally, SAPO’s ability to determine investigative jurisdiction in some cases will be limited, and its chief will lose the authority to resolve disputes over which body should investigate certain cases or amend appeals filed by SAPO prosecutors.

After signing the bill, Zelenskyy claimed that NABU and SAPO would continue their work and that the Prosecutor General was committed to ensuring genuine accountability.

Still, the move triggered widespread protests in major cities across Ukraine. Thousands of citizens called on the president to veto the law, warning it weakens the country’s anti-corruption architecture at a time when transparency and rule of law are under intense scrutiny — both domestically and from international partners.