Ukraine's leadership must explain its decisions on changes to the anti-corruption authorities - MEP Zile

RIGA - It is up to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his administration to explain to the public the controversial decisions to change the subordination of the anti-corruption authorities, said MEP Roberts Zile, who also serves as Vice-President of the European Parliament (EP), in an interview to TV3 this morning.

According to him, from an outsider's point of view, these decisions were indeed surprising and unexpected, but it should be borne in mind that the public does not know all the details. Zile stressed that, according to media reports, Zelensky will next week propose his own improved changes to the law, which are currently being discussed.

The MEP admitted that, thinking in analogies, if in Latvia the Corruption Prevention Bureau "remained under the Prosecutor's Office", it would be a "big bang", but that it should also be taken into account that the situation in Ukraine is perhaps not so simple and there is a high level of corruption there.

"It is very much in the hands of Zelensky and his people to explain to the public and to find a compromise, because I accept that it is not always black and white," said Zile, adding that it is too early to say whether these decisions to change the subordination of the anti-corruption authorities bring Ukraine closer or further away from European values.

At the same time, he noted that it would be good if these decisions did not stir up huge internal political contradictions in Ukraine. "The number of protesters is not that big at the moment, but the presidential administration and the parliament should certainly explain their position and try to correct it," the politician summarized.

The AFP news agency reports that several thousand people rallied in central Kyiv on Wednesday in an unprecedented protest against a law signed off by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that removes the independence of two key anti-corruption bodies.

The mostly young marchers urged Zelensky to veto the legislation in the biggest protest in Kyiv since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The bill passed on Tuesday is the latest in a series of moves criticized by Ukrainian anti-corruption activists. They warn that growing government pressure threatens Ukraine's reforms and ambition to join the European Union.

Zelensky has rejected the criticism, saying the law was needed to root out alleged Russian influence in anti-corruption institutions -- a charge denied by activists.

"We all share a common enemy: the Russian occupiers," Zelensky said after meeting with top law enforcement and anti-corruption officials on Wednesday.

"And defending the Ukrainian state requires a strong enough law enforcement system -- one that ensures a real sense of justice," he added.

In a statement on social media, he said he would propose a new bill that would "ensure the norms for the independence of anti-corruption institutions".

The law places the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) under the direct authority of the prosecutor general, who is appointed by the president.

After meeting with Zelensky, the NABU and SAPO repeated their criticism of the changes and said "unambiguous legislative steps are required to reinstate the guarantees revoked by parliament".