Ambassadors of G7 countries recall the need to appoint SAPO head
The Ambassadors of the G7 countries recalled the critical importance of the timely appointment of the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO).
"As we discussed with Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna on July 7, G7 Ambassadors reiterate that a timely nomination of the SAPO Head is critically important for strengthening Ukraine's anti-corruption institutions," a message posted on Twitter says.
As reported, the European Commission recommended granting Ukraine the status of a candidate for EU membership with the understanding that seven steps will be taken. One of these steps was called completing the appointment of a new SAPO head by certifying the identified winner of the competition and launching and completing the process of selecting and appointing a new director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).
The competition commission for the election of the head of the SAPO has not been able to approve the results of the competition since last year, according to which NABU detective Oleksandr Klymenko received 246 points to occupy the position of the head of the SAPO, and prosecutor of the Prosecutor General's Office Andriy Syniuk 229 points.
The updated memorandum of economic and financial policy of Ukraine with the International Monetary Fund provided for the election of a new head of SAPO until December 2021.