The Rada is preparing to expand the powers of NABU and SAPO: what will change in draft law No. 15334

The Verkhovna Rada has registered draft law No. 15334, which provides for amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code and significantly strengthens the powers of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. The document is part of Ukraine’s European integration commitments in the field of justice and the fight against corruption.

One of the key changes will be the expansion of the circle of officials whose cases will be investigated by the NABU. This list is proposed to include heads of advisory bodies under the President, heads of military administrations, officials of the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine, the State Bureau of Investigation, as well as members of supervisory boards and management of state-owned enterprises with a state share of more than 50%.

A separate block of changes concerns strengthening the autonomy of the SAPO. The draft law actually establishes the priority of the SAPO prosecutor in disputes about investigation between the NABU and other law enforcement agencies, reducing the role of the Prosecutor General’s Office in such conflicts.

The document also gives the head of the SAPO the right to independently create joint international investigative teams and participate in the extradition procedure in NABU cases without additional approvals.

Experts note that although some of these mechanisms already existed in the legislation, the new draft law significantly strengthens the institutional independence of the anti-corruption vertical and may become an important step in fulfilling the anti-corruption requirements of the European Union.