Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies undergo “cleansing”, top security official says amid legal shakeup

The Security Service of Ukraine stated this on their Telegram channel.

“The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau have not been liquidated; these bodies remain and continue their work. I have respect for the detectives and the Bureau’s leadership, but the cleansing this structure is undergoing now is a big plus. I am confident they will take the necessary measures, and we will assist them to prevent similar criminal acts in the future. There are no exceptions for us; we will continue to root out hostile influence anywhere,” Maliuk stated.

He also noted that Law No. 12414 regarding NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office “will help avoid duplication of functions within the prosecution system.”

“We live in a rule-of-law state. There is a fundamental law — the Constitution. According to the Constitution, we have only one Prosecutor General in the country. There cannot be duplication in this matter,” added the head of the Security Service of Ukraine.

Maliuk emphasized that the Security Service, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office have jointly conducted many operations exposing corrupt high-ranking officials, and both agencies should continue cooperating in this area.

“I want unity in this country, so everyone stands together and thinks about how to fight the enemy, not ‘winking’ at imprisoned oligarchs. We had full cooperation with both previous and current Bureau leaders. We have hundreds of joint operations. These involved serious criminals: corrupt MPs, deputy ministers, and court heads. This is a whole range of unique actions carried out. All of these will continue to be investigated, with further inquiries and interrogations. I am confident that NABU’s leadership will work with us to address this situation,” he concluded.

Law No. 12414: what is known

On July 22, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a bill passed by the Verkhovna Rada that includes provisions limiting the powers of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), placing their activities under the authority of the Prosecutor General.

The bill’s status card was updated three times: initially marked as signed by the president, then the note disappeared, and later the signature of Zelenskyy reappeared.

The bill in question, No. 12414, introduces changes to the Criminal Code. Proposed amendments would give the Prosecutor General the authority to:

• remove cases from NABU and assign them to other agencies;
• act as the de facto head of SAP and delegate its powers to other prosecutors;
• issue binding written instructions to NABU detectives;
• unilaterally close investigations involving top officials.

The amendments also restrict the operations of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). Specifically, SAPO prosecutors will, in certain cases, be unable to determine whether a case falls under NABU’s jurisdiction. The SAP head will lose the authority to resolve jurisdictional disputes over cases that NABU could investigate and will no longer have the power to amend appellate or cassation complaints submitted by SAP prosecutors.

Following the bill’s signing, President Zelenskyy stated that NABU and SAPO would continue their work and that the Prosecutor General is committed to ensuring real accountability.

After the vote in the Verkhovna Rada, thousands of Ukrainians in major cities held peaceful protests, demanding that the president veto the law that significantly limits the powers of the anti-corruption agencies.

On July 23, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a high-level meeting with the heads of Ukraine’s law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies, following public protests sparked by a newly signed law that critics say undermines the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).