European Commission Reaffirms Support For Ukraine's Anti-Corruption Bodies

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier said this at a briefing in Brussels on Monday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"We are indeed aware of the latest developments, but, as you know, we do not comment on individual cases," the spokesperson said, referring to the prosecutor general's notification of suspicion against the director of NABU.

He reaffirmed the EU's policy of zero tolerance for corruption.

"Fight against corruption is the central element for any country that wants to join the EU. It requires continuous efforts to guarantee a strong capacity to combat corruption and money laundering through effective prevention, investigation and prosecution, as well as to ensure the respect for the rule of law," Mercier said.

He emphasized that independent anti-corruption bodies are a "cornerstone" of the rule of law in Ukraine.

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The spokesperson said that the EU would continue to assess rule-of-law reforms in Ukraine, such as improving the process for selecting prosecutors, as part of fulfilling the requirements of the "Fundamentals" cluster in the EU accession negotiations, as well as as part of the list of 10 priority reforms agreed with the European Commission.

In this regard, Brussels expects the Ukrainian authorities to continue this work "in a consistent and effective manner."

The fact that anti-corruption proceedings involving high-ranking officials are taking place indicates that the relevant institutions in Ukraine are indeed functioning, the spokesperson noted.

"In that sense, it shows commitment from the authorities to do the work and to have in place the system," Mercier emphasized.

As Ukrinform reported, following his resignation as Prosecutor General, Ruslan Kravchenko said that he had signed a notice of suspicion against NABU Director Semen Kryvonos. According to him, the Prosecutor General's Office is investigating dozens of criminal proceedings involving serious and particularly serious crimes allegedly committed by employees of NABU and SAPO.

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the Verkhovna Rada to immediately support Kravchenko's dismissal from the position of Prosecutor General.

NABU and SAPO, in turn, said they viewed the notice of suspicion against NABU Director Semen Kryvonos as a continuation of the attack on the anti-corruption bodies.

Photo: eumetsat

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