The Office of the Prosecutor General has opened an investigation into the NACP’s attempts to reform the legal profession
30 April 15:58
The Office of the Prosecutor General has opened a criminal investigation into alleged abuse of power by employees of the National Agency for Corruption Prevention. The case concerns the agency’s attempts to reform the legal profession. This was reported by the National Bar Association of Ukraine, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
The Association noted that the complaint alleging a crime was filed by Yuriy Radzievsky, chairman of the UNAU Committee on Information Policy and Media Relations.
“This concerns circumstances related to the preparation of the draft Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2026–2030, which included a section on ‘The Bar and Legal Aid.’ At the end of 2025, the NACP even organized a public discussion of this draft regarding the legal profession. Among other things, NACP representatives stated that, in accordance with the Roadmap on the Rule of Law, approved by Cabinet of Ministers Order No. 475-r of May 14, 2025, the state is allegedly obligated to intervene in the activities of 16 institutions, a list that includes the legal profession,” according to a statement on the UNAU website.
They believe that such actions by the NACP not only “tarnish the reputation of the bar, but also constitute an abuse of the agency’s legal authority.”
Furthermore, the Ukrainian Bar Association considers the initiatives proposed by the NACP to be a direct, gross, and systematic interference by an executive authority in the activities of an independent constitutional institution.
“The attempts by the National Agency for Corruption Prevention, beyond the scope of its own legally defined discretion, to impose its own vision of legislative changes on the legal profession indicate a search for ‘sources of influence’ beyond the scope of its granted powers and are unconstitutional in nature. Such actions pose a direct threat to the independence of the legal profession and to every person’s right to effective and independent professional legal assistance,” the Ukrainian Bar Association notes.
Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2026–2030
In turn, Taras Kachka , Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, emphasized during the discussion of the draft Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2026–2030 that it is important for the government to hear all perspectives on the document in order to clearly define priorities and properly shape expectations regarding its implementation
“The Anti-Corruption Strategy must remain a working tool, not an attempt to address every single issue in the legal system. It is important for us to maintain a balance: on the one hand, to clearly identify key risks and priorities; on the other, not to overload the document with issues that are more effectively addressed through other policies or sectoral reforms,” the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.
As a reminder, the Ukrainian National Bar Association (UNBA) previously appealed to the President of Ukraine and the Parliament to refrain from approving the Anti-Corruption Strategy for 2026–2030 in the section concerning the legal profession and bar self-governance.
