Parliament restores independence and legal integrity of NABU
On Oct. 18, parliament adopted draft law No. 5459-1, which brings the Law on the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine in line with the Constitution of Ukraine, eliminates gaps in the law and uncertainty about the status of the current director of the bureau, which arose after decisions of the Constitutional Court last year.
The new procedure for selecting the director of the NABU is also being introduced. The new director of the body will be selected through a transparent competition, with the decisive vote of international experts in the process. The commission that will select the director of the NABU will consist of six persons, three of whom are directly appointed by the Cabinet of Ministers, and three others are nominated by donor organizations. The decisions of the commission will be taken by four votes, at least two of which are votes of international experts. In case of equal distribution of votes and impossibility of overcoming it in subsequent votes, the decision supported by three members of the Commission, at least two of whom must be international experts, will be considered adopted.
The current director of the NABU will continue to exercise all his powers either until the end of his term in April 2022 or until the appointment of a successor, whose selection should begin after the entry into force of the law (whichever is the first).
Ukraine spends budget funds on questionable medicines
According to a recent AntAC study, in 2020 Ukrainians spent around $520 million on medicines that do not have proven efficiency (i.e., medicines that do not rely on sufficient credible studies or in fact are nutrients no medicines). This sum includes at least $5.89 million spent from the state budget on procuring such medicines.
Kyiv District Administrative Court attacks international partners’ involvement in prosecution reform
The infamous Kyiv District Administrative Court revoked the decision on dismissal of one of the prosecutors of the Prosecutor General’s Office based on the negative conclusion of the attestation commission. The court found it illegal for experts nominated by international partners to take part in attestation of prosecutors based on “violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty.” Clearly, KDAC’s decision is illegal and intentionally uses strong political language to provoke political tensions.
Prosecutor General of Moldova allegedly laundered money in Ukraine
The AntAC filed a crime report regarding alleged money laundering through two Ukrainian companies by Prosecutor General of Moldova Oleksandr Stoyanoglo and his wife Tvetana Kurdova. The prosecutor general’s wife became the beneficial owner of two Ukrainian companies previously controlled by odious Moldovan oligarch Vyacheslav Platon. The move allegedly was a bribe to Stoyangolo for his cover-up of Platon’s activities.
