Kyiv [Ukraine], July 24: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday announced he would propose a bill to "ensure the strength of the rule of law system," in response to nationwide protests over a new law curtailing the power of anti-corruption authorities.
Addressing the nation in his daily video address, Zelensky said that criticism over the legislation, which was passed by parliament on Tuesday, had not fallen "on deaf ears."
"We've analysed all the concerns, all the aspects of what needs to be changed and what needs to be stepped up. I will propose a bill to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine that will be the response," he said referring to the country's unicameral parliament, according to the official English transcript of the address. He did not provide further details on the planned bill, however.
It comes after Zelensky held talks earlier on Wednesday to try and defuse the row sparked by the new law, which limits the powers of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP).
They are now to be placed under the authority of the prosecutor general's office.
The secret service and police had carried out dozens of raids on NABU and SAP employees over the past week.
One of the allegations against them is collaboration with Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine about three and a half years ago. However, the real reason for the raids is suspected to be a power struggle between the security agencies. Zelensky met the head of NABU, Semen Kryvonos, and the head of SAP, Oleksandr Klymenko, describing the encounter as "open and helpful."
The representatives decided to draw up an action plan to resolve remaining problems, he wrote on Telegram on Wednesday.Soon after the meeting, NABU published a call on its official Telegram channel for the law curtailing powers to be repealed. The statement argued that the agency works solely in the interests of the Ukrainian people. The law has been met with massive criticism at home and abroad.
Demonstrations against the law took place in several Ukrainian cities on Tuesday evening, and further protests have been called in at least seven cities for Wednesday evening. The protests, which are expected to grow if the government doesn't change course, are the first large-scale demonstrations that Zelensky has had to contend with since the beginning of the Russian invasion. The independence of NABU and SAP is considered a prerequisite for Ukraine's EU accession.
The agencies were established with Western support to advance the fight against corruption in Ukraine. Nevertheless, the country remains one of the most corrupt in Europe.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos has warned that the new law presents a "serious step back" for Ukraine on the road to EU accession.
Source: Qatar Tribune