Ukraine, Hot topic

Selection panel declares winner set to lead Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office

by Oleksiy Sorokin July 19, 2022 11:42 AM 1 min read

National Anti-Corruption Bureau Detective Oleksandr Klymenko is seen during the competition for the position of the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, on Dec. 21, 2021, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Getty Images)

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Oleksandr Klymenko, a detective at the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, was announced the winner of the selection of the new Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor on July 19.

Klymenko received the highest score in the competition back in December. But despite de facto winning the vacancy in late 2021, the results were not officially finalized by the selection panel, leaving the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) without a head. The post has been vacant since August 2020.

Now that the winner was announced, the Prosecutor General's Office has three days to appoint Klymenko as the head of SAPO. However, with Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova on her way out, a formality can drag indefinitely.

"Yes, the commission technically approved Klymenko's victory in the competition, but the head is appointed by the Prosecutor General," Vitaly Shabunin, the head of the Anti-Corruption Action Center's executive board, wrote on Telegram.

Shabunin says it is possible that while the Prosecutor General's Office drags on with the confirmation, the competition may be canceled.

President Volodymyr Zelensky submitted to parliament a motion to dismiss Venediktova on July 19. Zelensky removed Veneditkova two days prior, citing a high number of suspected traitors among prosecutors as the main reason for his decision.

The appointment of a new Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor has been key to Ukraine’s EU obligations. But the selection has been stalled for months, and many activists believe it was being sabotaged by the President's Office.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on June 17, during official remarks concerning granting Ukraine and Moldova EU candidate status, that Kyiv must swiftly appoint the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.

A month later, in a July 17 video address, Zelensky urged to appoint the winner of the competition.

Oleksiy Sorokin

Deputy Chief Editor

Oleksiy Sorokin is the co-founder and deputy chief editor at the Kyiv Independent. He is tasked with building the organization and leading the hiring, editing, and newsletter workstreams. Oleksiy occasionally writes, his latest articles include interviews with top Ukrainian and European officials. For his work, Oleksiy was included in the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Oleksiy holds a BA from the University of Toronto.Read more

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