Ukrainian anti-corruption investigators raided by security officials
Investigators from Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) have been subjected to raids by security officials, allegedly without court warrants, the agency said on Monday.
NABU, which is tasked with investigating top-level corruption, reported the incident as tensions allegedly grow between Vladimir Zelensky’s administration and political opponents. The Ukrainian parliament, where Zelensky’s party holds a majority, formed an ad-hoc committee earlier this month to examine anti-corruption bodies, including NABU.
Local media first reported the searches, citing sources within law enforcement who said several anti-corruption officers were suspected of collaborating with Russia and Ukrainian “oligarchs.” The security service of Ukraine (SBU) subsequently made accusations against a senior NABU official, who was accused of having ties with Russian special services.
NABU was established in 2015 as part of judicial reforms aimed at meeting the expectations of Western governments and international lenders. Its mandate includes high-level corruption investigations, and it is currently probing former Unity Minister Aleksey Chernyshov as well as former Vice Prime Minister Olga Stefanishina, who has been tapped as Kiev’s next ambassador to the United States.
Ukrainian media have described fraud charges issued this month against Vitaly Shabunin, an anti-graft NGO head and former member of NABU’s public oversight committee, as a blow to anti-corruption institutions. The press says public oversight bodies often serve as vehicles of Western influence in Ukraine. Some outlets have framed the ongoing pressure on NABU as part of a wider campaign by Zelensky to disempower individuals linked to the US Democratic Party.
The news site Strana reported earlier this month that Zelensky’s government was emboldened by the cuts of US funding to foreign projects ordered by President Donald Trump, a Republican.
“Zelensky is currently dismantling the system of foreign control, on which the US and Europe spent a lot of effort and money” since the 2014 armed coup in Kiev, Strana reported.
Some Ukrainian political actors have reportedly turned to new financial backers, including former President Pyotr Poroshenko, prompting the ongoing escalation of tensions. Poroshenko, who has publicly pledged loyalty to Zelensky for as long as Ukraine’s conflict with Russia continues, was sanctioned by the government earlier this year.
