A Ukrainian MP and other officials have been arrested after the country’s anti-corruption agencies, which they have called a large-scale bribe scheme in the purchase of drones and electronic warfare systems.
In a statement on X, President Volodimier Zelanski said that a Ukrainian MP, head of the district and city administration and several National Guard Service members were exposed to their participation, which included state contracts, which were signing prices up to 30%with suppliers.
Zelansky wrote that there may be “zero tolerance” for corruption in Ukraine, and thanked the agencies for their work.
Following nationwide protests, the freedom of Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies was restored on Thursday.
The Zalensky government faced a wide backlash after introducing a bill, snatching the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Officers Office, which is known as NABU and SAP respectively of their independence.
The President claimed that the agencies need “to clean” with Russian effect, and demanded the general prosecutor to decide who should be prosecuted in high-level corruption cases.
Many saw the move as a step for corruption in Ukraine, resulting in the largest anti -government demonstrations since Russia started the country’s full -scale invasion in 2022.
Zelancesi accepted public anger and presented a new bill to restore the former freedom of agencies, which was voted by Parliament a few days after the original bill was passed.
Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Intelligence (HUR), thanked Zelancesi for “listening to public calls” about the powers of anti-corruption agencies and “not making mistakes”.
The move was also praised by the European Union colleagues, who expressed concern over the implications of the original bill.
The fight against corruption in Ukraine’s dialect is important to join the European Union. To move towards the exemption of visa sanctions, Nabu and SAP construction was a requirement determined by the European Commission and International Monetary Fund in 2014.
As a result, Kiev was given the status of the European Union candidate in 2022, making another step towards close relations with the nation West.
Since their establishment, NABU and SAP have been involved in far -reaching investigation into abuse of assets and bribes worth millions of dollars in various ministries and fields.
A joint investigation in 2023 resulted in the arrest in relation to bribery, vsevolod kniazive, VSEVOLOD Kniazive, Ukraine’s head.
