NABU and SAPO announced pressure on judges who consider cases of Bureau detectives

The heads of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office announced pressure on judges who are considering cases related to NABU detectives.

NABU Director Semen Kryvonos and SAPO Head Oleksandr Klymenko reported this during a briefing on August 10.

According to Kryvonos, this concerns, in particular, calls from representatives of certain departments of the Security Service of Ukraine to judges who are considering relevant petitions.

NABU claims that judges do not report pressure

As the NABU Director explained, Bureau detectives who have the status of suspects or whose property has been arrested submit relevant petitions to the district courts of Kyiv and the appellate instance.

According to Kryvonos, NABU receives information about pressure on judges who are considering such issues.

“We constantly record calls from certain departments of the Security Service of Ukraine and pressure on these judges,” the Bureau Director said.

At the same time, according to him, the judges themselves do not officially report such cases and do not seek protection from the Prosecutor General or the High Council of Justice.

Kryvonos clarified that he receives information about possible pressure from NABU from his sources.

The SAPO stated that the situation has not changed since July 2025

The head of the SAPO, Oleksandr Klymenko, stated that the situation has not changed significantly after the events of July 2025.

According to him, a number of NABU detectives are still under investigation. The NABU and SAPO consider the relevant proceedings to be unfounded.

Klymenko also claims that persons whom the anti-corruption authorities consider to be involved in last year’s events and possible falsifications during investigations continue to hold their positions.

“The individuals who were involved in these attacks, in the falsification of the investigations themselves, they still remain in their positions, have received promotions, new ranks,” the head of the SAPO said.

Kryvonos mentioned the Maghamedrasulov case

The NABU director separately commented on the situation surrounding detective Ruslan Maghamedrasulov.

According to him, pressure is being exerted, in particular, on the judges who acquitted the witness in this case.

Regarding Maghamedrasulov himself, Kryvonos noted that there are currently no significant changes in the case. The detective is familiarizing himself with the investigation materials.

What happened around NABU and SAPO in 2025

On July 21, 2025, NABU reported on searches of 15 employees of the Bureau.

The next day, the Verkhovna Rada adopted Law No. 12414 with amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code, which caused a sharp reaction from NABU and SAPO. Anti-corruption agencies then stated that their independence was under threat.

Protests took place in a number of Ukrainian cities after the adoption of the document.

Subsequently, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted to parliament a new bill on the powers of the NABU and the SAPO.

On July 31, 2025, the Verkhovna Rada adopted bill No. 13533, designed to restore the independence of anti-corruption agencies. After being signed by the president and officially published, the document entered into force.

At the same time, according to the current position of the NABU and SAPO leadership, the problems that the anti-corruption agencies stated after the events of July 2025 have not completely disappeared.