By Lisa Hornung
July 31, 2025 / UPI
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 15. Zelensky on Thursday signed an anti-corruption bill that would reverse one he signed into law last week. File Photo by EPA
July 31 (UPI) -- After a week of protests, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky signed an anti-corruption bill reversing one he signed last week.
The Ukrainian parliament voted unanimously for the new bill after backlash from Ukrainian people and the European Union.
Last week's law brought two anti-corruption watchdogs under the control of the country's prosecutor general, which is a politically appointed position. Proponents said it was necessary to prevent Russian influence in the anti-corruption system and speed up corruption cases. But opponents said it stripped away the independence of the organizations -- the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.
The new law reversed last week's law.
Related
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 15. Zelensky on Thursday signed an anti-corruption bill that would reverse one he signed into law last week. File Photo by EPA
July 31 (UPI) -- After a week of protests, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky signed an anti-corruption bill reversing one he signed last week.
The Ukrainian parliament voted unanimously for the new bill after backlash from Ukrainian people and the European Union.
Last week's law brought two anti-corruption watchdogs under the control of the country's prosecutor general, which is a politically appointed position. Proponents said it was necessary to prevent Russian influence in the anti-corruption system and speed up corruption cases. But opponents said it stripped away the independence of the organizations -- the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.
The new law reversed last week's law.
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"I want to thank all the lawmakers for passing my bill, now a law. I have just signed the document, and the text will be published immediately," Zelensky said on his Telegram channel.
"There are guarantees for the proper, independent operation of anti-corruption bodies and all law enforcement agencies of our state."
Many sitting members of parliament are being investigated by NABU. The agency has charged 71 current and former MPs with corruption. Forty-two of them were charged between 2022 and 2025. Still in parliament are 31 of the charged MPs.
Ukraine's Anti-Corruption Action Center approved of Zelensky's initiative, saying it would "restore the principles previously dismantled by the Verkhovna Rada [parliament]."
The European Union warned Ukraine, a former Soviet republic, that it saw last week's law as backsliding in the country's efforts to combat corruption and could jeopardize its plans to join its ranks.
"The European Union is concerned about Ukraine's recent actions with regard to its anti-corruption institutions, NABU and SAPO," European Commission Spokesperson Guillaume Mercier told Ukrinform, the country's national news agency last week. Mercier added that the European Union's financial assistance to Ukraine is conditional on "transparency, judicial reform and democratic governance."
Former Prime Minister and current MP Yulia Tymoshenko defended last week's bill.
"This bill, the president submitted under colossal pressure, is not about NABU and SAP, and not about the fight against corruption. NABU and SAP are organs of political pressure on Ukraine's government from outside. We are not a country that can be ruled by foreign powers as a dog on a leash," Tymoshenko said during the parliament session on Thursday. "I don't care who takes away our sovereignty, East or West."
Last week, Zelensky quickly signed the disputed bill, claiming NABU and SAP were not effective enough and were filled with Russian agents. The organizations were investigating corruption allegations against some of his closest allies.
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"I want to thank all the lawmakers for passing my bill, now a law. I have just signed the document, and the text will be published immediately," Zelensky said on his Telegram channel.
"There are guarantees for the proper, independent operation of anti-corruption bodies and all law enforcement agencies of our state."
Many sitting members of parliament are being investigated by NABU. The agency has charged 71 current and former MPs with corruption. Forty-two of them were charged between 2022 and 2025. Still in parliament are 31 of the charged MPs.
Ukraine's Anti-Corruption Action Center approved of Zelensky's initiative, saying it would "restore the principles previously dismantled by the Verkhovna Rada [parliament]."
The European Union warned Ukraine, a former Soviet republic, that it saw last week's law as backsliding in the country's efforts to combat corruption and could jeopardize its plans to join its ranks.
"The European Union is concerned about Ukraine's recent actions with regard to its anti-corruption institutions, NABU and SAPO," European Commission Spokesperson Guillaume Mercier told Ukrinform, the country's national news agency last week. Mercier added that the European Union's financial assistance to Ukraine is conditional on "transparency, judicial reform and democratic governance."
Former Prime Minister and current MP Yulia Tymoshenko defended last week's bill.
"This bill, the president submitted under colossal pressure, is not about NABU and SAP, and not about the fight against corruption. NABU and SAP are organs of political pressure on Ukraine's government from outside. We are not a country that can be ruled by foreign powers as a dog on a leash," Tymoshenko said during the parliament session on Thursday. "I don't care who takes away our sovereignty, East or West."
Last week, Zelensky quickly signed the disputed bill, claiming NABU and SAP were not effective enough and were filled with Russian agents. The organizations were investigating corruption allegations against some of his closest allies.
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