Ukraine's Parliament approves law restoring independence of anti-graft
watchdogs following backlash
[August 01, 2025]
By ILLIA NOVIKOV
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s Parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly
approved a bill presented by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that restores
the independence of two of the country’s key anti-corruption watchdogs,
reversing his contentious move last week that curbed their power and
brought an outcry.
Last week’s measure by Zelenskyy to place the watchdogs under the
oversight of the prosecutor-general prompted rebukes from Ukrainians,
the European Union and international rights groups. It raised fears that
the government could meddle in investigations and potentially shield its
supporters from scrutiny.
Fighting entrenched corruption is crucial for Ukraine’s aspirations to
join the EU and maintain access to billions of dollars of vital Western
aid in the nearly 3½-year all-out war. It's also an effort that enjoys
broad public support.
Zelenskyy said he signed the bill into law less than two hours after its
approval — an unusually speedy procedure for legislation.
“It guarantees normal, independent work for anti-corruption bodies and
all law enforcement agencies in our state,” Zelenskyy said of the new
law. “A truly productive day with real impact for the people.”
Zelenskyy has been the international face of Ukraine’s determination to
thwart Russia’s invasion. The anti-graft changes that he backed last
week tarnished his image abroad and put a question mark over his
country’s efforts to meet standards set by the EU for membership.
“Ukraine’s move to restore powers of anti-corruption bodies demonstrates
its resolve to quickly get back on course when European democratic
values are at stake,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on social
media.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, who called last week’s
legislative changes “a serious step back,” welcomed approval of the
bill, saying lawmakers had “corrected last week’s damaging vote.”
“Today’s law restores key safeguards, but challenges remain,” Kos, who
monitors the record of countries that are candidates to join the bloc,
wrote on X. “The EU supports (Ukrainian) citizens’ demands for reform.
Upholding fundamental values & fighting corruption must remain the
priority.”
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Ukraine “is committed to
reforms and the fight against corruption,” and that Zelenskyy
“demonstrated a principled approach.”
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Ukrainian lawmakers are calling to vote for a new bill proposed by
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy restoring the independence of the
country's anti-corruption agencies at the parliament session hall in
Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, July 31, 2025.(AP Photo/Vadym Sarakhan)
“We got it fixed,” he wrote on X.
At the start of a livestream of the parliamentary session, which was
the first to be broadcast in real time since the start of the war,
two lawmakers could be seen exchanging punches. Although the reason
for the scuffle wasn't known, it occurred amid a tense atmosphere in
the chamber where the speaker’s podium is flanked by Ukrainian and
EU flags.
The backlash against Zelenskyy's measures brought street protests
across the country, the first major demonstrations since Russia's
full-scale invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022. Though the protests
didn’t call for the president's removal, the controversy threatened
to undermine public trust in their leaders at a critical time.
Russia’s bigger army is accelerating its efforts to pierce Ukraine’s
front-line defenses and is escalating its bombardment of Ukrainian
cities. There is also uncertainty over how much additional weaponry
Ukraine’s Western partners can provide and how quickly.
The Ukrainian branch of Transparency International also criticized
last week's legislation, saying it weakened one of the most
significant reforms since what Ukraine calls its Revolution of
Dignity in 2014.
Zelenskyy said his goal had been to speed up prolonged
investigations, ensure more convictions and remove Russian meddling
in investigations, which he didn’t detail.
He said he had taken note of the protests and decided to present a
new bill to Parliament underscoring that the prosecutor general and
his deputies cannot give orders to anti-graft agencies or interfere
in their work.
Lawmakers in the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian Parliament in Kyiv,
approved Zelenskyy’s new proposal with 331 votes and nine
abstentions on Thursday, official figures showed.
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