Ukrainian MPs and other officials were arrested after the country’s anti-corruption agency revealed their alleged massive bribery scheme when buying drones and electronic warfare systems.
In a statement on X, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the involvement of Ukrainian MPs, heads of regional and city governments, and several National Guard waiters involved state contracts with suppliers, which were up to 30%.
Corruption in Ukraine may be “zero tolerance” and thanked the agencies for their work, Zelensky wrote.
The independence of Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies resumed on Thursday following national protests.
Zelensky’s administration faces widespread backlash after it proposed a bill that would deprive the National Anti-Corruption Agency and the dedicated Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, known as Nabu and SAP, respectively.
The president claims that the agencies need to “clear Russia’s influence” and try to grant the prosecutor the power to decide who should be prosecuted in high-level corruption cases.
Many see the move as a step in Ukraine’s corruption, the largest anti-government demonstration since Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country in 2022.
Zelensky acknowledged public outrage and submitted a new bill to restore the agency’s former independence, which was voted by parliament nine days after the original bill was passed.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s Major Intelligence Agency (HUR), thanked Zelensky for his “hearing the public’s appeal” on the power of anti-corruption agencies and “not making mistakes”.
The move was also praised by EU allies, who expressed concern about the impact of the original bill.
The fight against corruption is very important in Ukraine’s competition for joining the EU. The creation of Nab and SAP was a requirement set by the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund in 2014 toward easing visa restrictions.
As a result, Kiev won the EU candidate in 2022, which took the United States to a step closer to the West.
Since its inception, Nab and SAP have been involved in a far-reaching investigation into the misappropriation of millions of dollars in assets and bribery worth millions of dollars in various departments and departments.
Joint investigation in 2023 leads to Ukraine Supreme Court Chief Vsevolod Kniaziev arrestedrelated to bribes of US$3 million (£2.4 million; €2.9 million).
