Why does the ESBU remain under the influence of the Prosecutor General even after the controversial amendments were repealed?

On the Kyiv24 TV channel, Tetiana Khutor, chairwoman of the Institute of Legislative Ideas, explained why, despite the repeal of previous amendments to the legislation, law enforcement agencies, in particular the Economic Security Bureau, remain under the influence of the Prosecutor General. Earlier, the Institute of Legislative Ideas published its conclusions based on a legal analysis of Law No. 4555-IX and draft law No. 13533. For more details, please follow the link.

According to her, these changes caused a significant resonance among both Ukrainian experts and international partners.

Tetyana Khutor emphasized that although the influence of the Prosecutor General's Office on other law enforcement agencies existed before, the new legislation has further strengthened this role. In particular, the Prosecutor General now has the right to change the jurisdiction and transfer criminal proceedings between pre-trial investigation bodies on certain grounds.

"Under the new law, the Prosecutor General will retain the right to take cases away from other bodies, including this one. If there are relevant grounds, he can actually reassign the investigation of a particular case to another body," emphasized the ILI chair.

Tetiana Khutor also drew attention to staffing issues at the ESBU. Despite an independent competition and the selection of a winner, a new head has not yet been appointed.

According to Tetiana Khutor, such changes create new challenges for the anti-corruption infrastructure, which was previously less dependent on the influence of the Prosecutor General. That is why it is important to continue public oversight and discussion of these changes to ensure the effectiveness and independence of investigations.

Full interview: