Attempts to interfere in NABU's jurisdiction are a threat to independence – heads of anti-corruption agencies

18:21, 05.09.2023 1 min read

Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) Semen Kryvonos and Head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) Oleksandr Klymenko have stated that any interference in the jurisdiction of anti-corruption agencies poses a threat to the independence of NABU and SAPO.

"The exclusive jurisdiction of NABU in cases of top-level corruption is the foundation of the independence of anti-corruption agencies... the basis upon which the anti-corruption infrastructure was built. I believe that this is not subject to any discussion," Kryvonos said, commenting on President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy's initiative to equate corruption during wartime with treason and the possibility of transferring such cases to the jurisdiction of the Security Service of Ukraine.

He said that "NABU's exclusive jurisdiction should remain as it is."

Klymenko added, "I fully support this." "Any interference in our jurisdiction and any attempt to influence it in any way is, in a certain sense, a threat to our independence," he said."