The Verkhovna Rada has adopted bill No. 12414, which significantly alters the distribution of powers among the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP), and the Office of the Attorney General. This decision was supported by 263 members of parliament.
This is reported by Finway
New Powers for the Office of the Attorney General
According to the adopted changes, the Attorney General gains the right to withdraw cases from NABU’s jurisdiction and transfer them for investigation to other agencies. Additionally, he assumes the role of the de facto head of SAP and can delegate the powers of the SAP prosecutor to other prosecutors, as well as issue mandatory written instructions to NABU detectives. The Attorney General also gains the ability to independently close proceedings against top officials suspected of corruption.
“The Attorney General will become the de facto head of SAP. He will be able to delegate the powers of the SAP prosecutor to other prosecutors, provide mandatory written instructions to NABU detectives, and independently close cases involving top officials suspected of corruption.”
Functions of NABU and SAP
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) is a central executive authority with special status. NABU is responsible for preventing, detecting, stopping, investigating, and uncovering corruption and other criminal offenses within its jurisdiction, as well as preventing the commission of new crimes in this area.
The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) is a separate prosecutorial body that exercises procedural leadership in cases investigated by NABU.