The Verkhovna Rada has supported a bill on the independence of the SAPO. "Lozovyi's amendments" were not fully cancelled
The Ukrainian parliament has supported the draft law on the independence of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, following the demands of international partners. However, the so-called "Lozovyi's amendments" were not fully cancelled.
This was reported by the People's deputy from the Holos (Voice) party, Yaroslav Zhelezniak, and the Center for Combating Corruption NGO.
According to the draft law, the SAPO will become a separate legal entity and undergo an independent audit. However, according to Transparency International Ukraine, the lawmakers did not take into account critical recommendations:
- abolition of the unconditional closure of a case by the court after the expiry of the investigation period, introduced by "Lozovyi's amendments";
- allowing the SAPO to apply for extradition without involving the Prosecutor General's Office;
- allowing the head of the SAPO to open criminal cases against people's deputies independently.
"Lozovyi's amendments" are changes to the Code of Criminal Procedure that limit the duration of investigations. Earlier, Svidomi spoke about "Lozovyi's amendments" and how they led to the closure of cases against top corrupt officials.
The Center for Combating Corruption said it was preparing a petition to the President of Ukraine demanding that "Lozovyi's amendments" be scrapped in their entirety.
