Parliament passes bill to increase anti-corruption bureau staff in first reading

by Nate Ostiller November 21, 2023 4:28 PM 1 min read

A sign outside the office of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau in Kyiv, Ukraine. (NABU / Facebook)

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Ukraine's parliament passed a draft law in the first reading to increase the staff of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) from 700 to 1,000, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said on Nov. 21.

The proposed staffing increase would be introduced in phases over the next three years.

The first reading was approved with 323 votes. No lawmakers voted against it.

The bill will then go on for another two votes in parliament, potentially undergoing some changes, before being signed into law by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"This is an important draft law," Zhelezniak said, adding that it addresses one of Ukraine's primary reform obligations stipulated by the European Union.

When the European Commission recommended that Ukraine begin accession talks on Nov. 8, it also laid out several areas for improvement- one of them being that the staff size of the NABU be increased.

Author: Nate Ostiller

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