The Ukrainian Parliament passed on Tuesday legislation to boost the independence of the national anti-corruption bureau (NABU).
The bureau which the West backs is a requirement for Kyiv to obtain more loans from the International Monetary Fund. It will be a 5-billion dollar deal.
The legislation is still lacking the signature of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to be effective.
The bill provides a new mechanism for how to appoint NABU’s leadership.
NABU started its operations in 2015 to fight corruption among senior officials and politicians in Ukraine.
Moreover, Ukraine’s foreign backers and local activists ensure the bureau’s independence from the political agenda, through close observation.
The EU’s ambassador to Ukraine, Matti Maasikas said it is “a positive step on Ukraine’s anti-corruption reform agenda.”
“The EU is ready to support a transparent, merit-based selection process for a new NABU director,” he added.
According to Transparency International’s 2020 Corruption Perception Index, Ukraine ranked 117th out of 180 countries globally.
Evidently, this gives Ukraine 33 on a scale of 100 points, as zero means “corruption fully replaces the government.”
The government passed the bill after the provisional agreement with the IMF, which could result in a $700 million loan.
Besides, the bill gained the support of 304 lawmakers in the 450-seat parliament.
The new law sets up a commission of three governmental delegates and three others to select two NABU leadership candidates. International donors nominate the three other delegates.
Consequently, the government must appoint one of the two candidates.
“Independent experts will work in the selection commission,” said Anastasia Radina, the head of the parliament’s anti-corruption committee.
“They will have a decisive influence on the decision on nominees for the post of the head of NABU,”
Furthermore, the government will transparently not be allowed to interfere with NABU’s work, or abolish its decisions.
