The Cabinet of Ministers has not refused to conduct an audit of NABU: “It is a legal requirement”
26 March 14:19
Taras Kachka , Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, commented on reports that the Cabinet of Ministers has drafted a resolution to order an audit of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau. According to him, this audit is justified, reports "Komersant Ukrainian", citing the official’s comments to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency .
Maintaining the annual audit format for the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU)is currently justified given the current legislative requirements and context, says Kachka.
“The law on NABU provides for an annual external independent assessment (audit) of the National Bureau’s performance. At the same time, in accordance with the law, the decision to begin forming the Commission for conducting the assessment is made by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine no later than 30 calendar days before the end of the one-year period from the date of approval of the last performance audit of NABU. The initiative to conduct an audit in this case is in compliance with the law,” he stated.
The official noted that the provisions of the law on NABU differ from the provisions regarding the audit of the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NACP).
In particular, according to the law on corruption prevention, an independent assessment of the National Agency’s performance is conducted every two years by decision of the government.
“The law also stipulates that the Cabinet of Ministers approves and publishes the criteria and methodology for conducting such an assessment, which often sparks debate within the anti-corruption community. In the case of the NABU audit, these criteria are determined exclusively by the Audit Commission. That is why we plan to approve the criteria and methodology and conduct the audit in accordance with the law,” the Deputy Prime Minister added.
In addition, Kachka noted that an audit of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) is also conducted every two years, and the audit commission is appointed by the Prosecutor General.
“Last year’s audit of NABU highlighted the need to assess the feasibility of conducting an audit annually. Given the pace of organizing, conducting the audit, and subsequently implementing its recommendations, a two-year cycle may be more effective. At the same time, in my opinion, maintaining the annual audit format is currently justified given the current requirements and context. I have discussed this issue with NABU leadership, and I am confident we will reach a joint, effective solution, taking into account current legislation. So there is no need to look for ulterior motives in routine matters,” the Deputy Prime Minister added.
He also emphasized that the public outcry over “even such a technical issue and the attempt to give it a deeper political meaning indicates that we have a lot of work ahead of us to ensure the stable and smooth functioning of the criminal justice system.”
Earlier, the UP publication reported that in mid-March, the Cabinet of Ministers allegedly “unexpectedly” planned to initiate an independent audit of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau. However,the relevant resolution has not yet been considered by government officials.
Information about the audit emerged following a wave of critical reports regarding NABU Director Semen Kryvonos in the Ukrainian media. In particular, an investigation by former MP Boryslav Bereza revealed allegations of the NABU director’s fictitious paternity, which allegedly allowed him to qualify for amnesty in a criminal case involving voter bribery.
NABU has not yet commented on these allegations.
