Ukraine remains committed to maintaining independent anti-corruption bodies, the director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) will be appointed by the end of March 2023 after an open competition, the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies of the Program Monitoring with Board Involvement (PMB) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says.

"We remain firmly committed to preserving independent, competent and trustworthy institutions to combat high-level corruption," according to the document published on the website of the Ministry of Finance on Thursday.

The Memorandum notes that, despite the war, the work of NABU, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) and the High Anti-Corruption Court does not stop.

"New investigations and cases against senior public officials have been filed and pursued. In July 2022, a new SAPO head was appointed. To support the future work of the new SAPO head, we will reinforce the office with the onboarding of eight new and budgeted SAPO prosecutors by end-December 2022," the document notes.

Based on the text of the memorandum, the work of the selection commission for the new NABU head, which includes independent experts with international experience, is advancing.

"Consistent with the November 2021 legal amendments, the Cabinet of Ministers is expected to appoint the new head by end-March 2023, following an open, transparent and competitive selection process," the document notes.

It is also noted that the Ethics Council is also continuing with the vetting of candidates to fill all the vacancies in the High Council of Justice (Ukraine's highest judicial self-governance body responsible for judicial appointments and discipline).