Ukrainian parliament approves bill to restore independence of anti-corruption agencies

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The Ukrainian parliament on Thursday passed a bill to reinstate the independence of the anti-corruption agencies.

The vote was broadcast live on the parliament's official Rada TV channel, and the legislation -- freeing the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) from the supervision of the Prosecutor General's Office -- was adopted in both first and second readings.

According to the published results, 331 lawmakers voted in favor, surpassing the required threshold of 226 votes for passage​​​​​​​.

This decision came after the Ukrainian parliament on July 22 approved a bill initiated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Servant of the People party that had removed the independence of NABU and SAPO.

Zelenskyy signed that measure into law, but following nationwide protests, the president announced last week that he launched a new legislation initiative aimed at strengthening the agencies' independence.