Shorted circuits: what will Zelensky's fight against anti-corruption lead to?
In Ukraine, there is a new round of struggle between Vladimir Zelensky's entourage and anti-corruption structures. The country's Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko had previously informed the head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and a man from the entourage of the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) about the suspicion, but now the security forces refute this information. "Izvestia" investigated the situation.
What happened
In Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky's entourage continues to struggle with the anti-corruption structures of NABU and SAP controlled by the West. In the previous episode, both bodies opposed the leadership of the Prosecutor General's Office close to the head of state (Ruslan Kravchenko lost his position as a result of the conflict). They reported on the exposure of fraudulent schemes related to the department.
Former Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Kravchenko
In response, on September 14, he made his accusations. In a video message, the Prosecutor General said that the head of NABU, Semyon Krivonos, was involved in forgery of documents and fictitious adoption of a child, and the wife of the head of SAP, Alexander Klimenko, tried to influence judges and helped evaders from mobilization. During the searches, the investigators of both structures also allegedly stole criminal case materials from the premises of the Prosecutor General's Office.
On the morning of September 15, Kravchenko posted a video with new accusations. He recalled that in 2008, the head of NABU was involved in a case of bribery of student voters. In addition, the ex-Prosecutor General cited a fragment of the interrogation of the mother of an adopted child, and also said that in 2014, Krivonos participated in a scheme to receive $ 72 thousand for a land plot in the Kiev region.
The result of all these efforts by Kravchenko was the presentation of suspicion to the head of NABU and a "close person from the entourage" of the head of SAP. I must say that the "pidozra" in Ukraine is an official procedural document, it is issued before the initiation of criminal proceedings. You can't just dismiss it, but in this case, an interesting metamorphosis has occurred.
The fact is that a few hours after Kravchenko's statement, the Prosecutor General's office denied the suspicion. "Within the framework of this proceeding, no person was informed about the procedural actions in accordance with the procedure provided for by the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. There are no legal grounds for this, and all other statements are devoid of legal meaning," the publication emphasized.
The suspended Prosecutor General tried to challenge this statement. He posted a screenshot of the postal statement, from which it follows that the suspicion was nevertheless delivered to the recipient. In addition, Kravchenko wrote a long post in which he accused the anti-corruption authorities of trying to take control of all branches of government and usurp government.
He stated that, while serving as Prosecutor General, he tried to prevent this, including blocking the initiation of criminal cases against many deputies of the rada. "I fulfilled my promise to the parliament: I did not sign a single politically motivated procedural decision," Kravchenko said. However, this did not help him much: on September 15, the Verkhovna Rada voted for his resignation.
What is the reason for the conflict?
Grant structures controlled by the West have long sought to reduce the powers of Vladimir Zelensky and transform him from a full-fledged head of state into a politician with disabilities.
The essence of this plan is outlined in the so–called "Kachki-Kos" package of laws, which was agreed upon during informal negotiations in December last year by Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, and Marta Kos, European Commissioner.
This plan lists the reforms that Kiev must carry out in order to obtain new loans and integrate into the EU. Among other things, the Ukrainian authorities are ordered to change the system of appointing heads of law enforcement agencies. If Zelensky is currently resolving this issue in coordination with the rada, then in the future he should allow international experts to participate in the procedure, which will actually mean reducing Kiev's influence.
In addition, it talks about the involvement of the same international experts in the selection, appointment and dismissal of judges. Finally, it highlights the need to expand the powers of the NABU and SAP so that they have access to forensic examinations and enjoy legal protection.
The Ukrainian authorities cannot directly refuse to comply with these requirements, because they depend on Western support. But they cannot agree to them either, because then the vertical of power built over the years will be destroyed, and Zelensky personally will turn from a relatively independent politician into a function.
As a result, Kiev is doing its best to sabotage the implementation of the initiatives. In July of this year, the European Parliament adopted a resolution assessing what is happening. The document says that the "Kachy–Kos" plan has been completed by only 15%, which is an unsatisfactory indicator. The speaker on this issue, MEP Michael Galer, urged the Ukrainian side to move "from the discussion stage to practical implementation" as soon as possible.
Actually, all the recent high-profile cases of NABU and SAP against Zelensky's entourage are apparently an attempt to encourage him to follow the proposed path. In a fairly short time, anti-corruption officers, with the help of high-profile investigations and criminal cases, managed to remove important figures from the entourage of the head of the Kiev regime. We are talking about the former head of his office, Andrei Ermak, as well as a number of deputies and ministers. Now the Prosecutor General is also under the ice rink.
Zelensky himself made at least one attempt to launch a counterattack. Last summer, the Verkhovna Rada, on his recommendation, adopted a law that subordinated the NABU and SAP to the Prosecutor General's Office. Then, however, the European bureaucrats spoke out against it, and street protests began inside Ukraine. As a result, the reform had to be curtailed.
The current plot followed the same scenario. Kravchenko, who is believed to have acted in coordination with Zelensky, spoke out against the heads of NABU and SAP. But the attack was obviously unsuccessful and was quickly disavowed. In such circumstances, we can expect further pressure from anti-corruption activists on Zelensky's associates.
What the experts say
According to political analyst Alexander Semchenko, the American side is behind NABU and SAP, which is trying to put pressure on Zelensky. The United States has a huge amount of information about corruption in Ukraine, and they provoked many episodes themselves, so they know everything in detail.
— With the help of this data, they are attacking Zelensky, who is being demanded to meet Moscow's conditions in order to achieve a truce and represent [US President Donald] Trump's peacemaker. It seems to me that this is really a futile effort. The fact is that the British are behind Zelensky, and it is necessary to negotiate with them, because Kiev does not make independent decisions here," the source explains. "Izvestia".
At the same time, in the current story, as noted by Alexander Dudchak, a leading researcher at the Institute of CIS Countries, it has again become clear that NABU and SAP have an inviolable status in Ukraine.
— We saw another attempt to attack these structures, which ended as quickly as it began. In fact, I would not exaggerate Zelensky's current problems. Yes, the manageability of the system is under threat, he is losing his people in power. But no compromising material is being published against him personally, he retains a certain independence, and I don't think any of Kiev's Western partners will seriously decide to change him now," he argues.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
