"You won't find a job in Ukraine if there is no Ukraine" and "We've already arrived, is there still a chance?". Aitovites and tech entrepreneurs - on subordinating the SAPO and NABU to the Prosecutor General and limiting their powers

Olesya Gavrishko, Product Manager

You will not find a job in Ukraine if there is no Ukraine. Today, 263 deputies voted on bill No. 12414. What does it provide for? The Prosecutor General will be able to manage NABU and take over its cases. He will have the right to transfer NABU cases to any other bodies. He will also be able to influence the work of the SAPO and assign cases to other prosecutors.

Simply put, NABU and SAPO will no longer be able to work independently. The Prosecutor General will gain full control over anti-corruption investigations. This will destroy the system that we have been building for years.

The situation feels like it did in November 2013. Spread this news. Contact your majoritarians. Write comments to the deputies who voted «Yes», write to the president. Zelensky must veto. We must remind the authorities of Article 5 of the Constitution of Ukraine: The only source of power is the people!

Ms. Yulia Svyrydenko, what course did Ukraine take in 2013?

While the Defense Forces hold the front, the authorities risk stopping European integration, arms supplies from partners, and further demoralizing society with their actions. I understand that the topic is not as fun as memes about horseshoes or whether treason was discovered at a concert, but this is what we need to talk about today and prevent the adoption of this bill.

Alexander Suvorov, military man, developer

That’s it, we’re leaving. Ukraine is no more. There is — Zealand. With bill 12414, the servants of Zelensky, the OPZH and Batkivshyna will be accepted by the whole party. It seems that Batkivshyna was well bent, because the thief.

Yulia personally spoke FOR the adoption of this bill. Now it’s official: Ukraine is no longer Europe, we are not joining any EU or NATO, but are preparing to merge with the Empire and be in the ranks of the horde when it takes over Europe.

Vladyslav Kurmaz, Frontend developer

A law that doesn’t seem to be about corruption. But it is about it. In the silence of committees, without a comparative table, without discussion in the hall, the parliament adopts amendments to law No. 12414. Formally, it is about procedures during martial law. In fact, it is a law that turns the NABU and SAPO into pocket structures.

Now the Attorney General:

• may indicate how to conduct an investigation;
• takes away the cases of top officials
• actually manages the anti-corruption infrastructure.

This is no small matter. It is the destruction of the independence of institutions that have been built since 2015 under public pressure and the support of Western partners.

This is not a fight against corruption. This is a fight against those who investigate it.

And this is a very dangerous call for investors, for partners, for all of us.

You cannot build a new Ukraine using old methods.

Yaroslav Azhniuk, CEO and Founder at The Fourth Law, Co-founder at Odd Systems

The rule of law is the biggest demand of Ukrainian society. According to some polls, it is even bigger than the end of hostilities. The law must be vetoed.

Oleksandr Kosovan, CEO at MacPaw

In my opinion, it is high time to look for a way to new elections. The war will be with us for years to come, and the government already reeks of incorrigible authoritarianism. Elections during war are possible and necessary, and no matter what anyone says, they are possible.

Oleksandr Krakovetsky, CEO of IT company DevRain

I’m disgusted. From the feeling of deja vu. From the fact that my fucking predictions have become reality.

From the fact that some of my friends, instead of clear rhetoric, began to look for some parallels with their predecessors.

From the fact that all this is happening at the most difficult moment for the country.

From the fact that our enemies have received 100,500 reasons to rejoice.

From the fact that a bunch of people wrote that they made the right choice when they left the country.

For the first time since the full-scale invasion, I have such a strong feeling of closing in on myself and pretending that reality doesn’t exist.

Because reality is disgusting.

Ivan Prymachenko, co-founder of the online educational platform Prometheus

Dismantling anti-corruption institutions means more stolen public funds, a closed road to the EU, and the threat of losing European financial assistance at a critical stage of the war. But the worst thing is the demotivation of the entire society. The feed contains thousands of posts from military personnel, volunteers, activists, citizens, and refugees who cannot understand how this is even possible. And if this demotivation is allowed to take hold, the consequences can be terrible. There is still an opportunity to show wisdom and a statesmanlike position — to veto the bill. And this opportunity must be used.

Andriy Logvin, co-founder of the Kasta marketplace

The elimination of anti-corruption bodies is a path to disaster. NABU and SAPO are important achievements of the Revolution of Dignity. They are a marker of a democratic society and the balance of power. The demolition of these institutions is not just a step back. It is a risk of losing international support and public trust. What will happen if we lose support and trust — I don’t even want to think. No matter under what arguments this decision was «sold» to the president, it is a strategic mistake, the consequences of which will be catastrophic. I urge the President not to sign bill 12414!

Artem Borodatyuk, founder of Netpeak Group, in a comment to Forbes

This decision will not directly affect the activities of Netpeak Group. But I do not support the adoption of bill No. 12414 and do not understand the logic of its appearance. NABU and SAPO were once created as independent bodies to investigate corruption crimes without political or administrative pressure.

The SAPO has come a long way from separating itself from the Prosecutor General’s Office, and now we are actually going back, concentrating excessive powers in one hand. Despite all my respect for Ruslan Kravchenko, who recently headed the Prosecutor General’s Office, I believe that concentrating such great power in one hand can do more harm than good.

Strong institutions must be independent — this is a fundamental condition for the development of the state and business. Reducing their autonomy looks like a step in the opposite direction. We must foster the responsibility and institutional capacity of each body in the state administration, because that is the only way development works.

Oleksandr Yakovenko, founder of Taf Drones, in a comment to Forbes

We strongly condemn any decisions that limit the independence of NABU and SAPO. Independent anti-corruption bodies are an important guarantee of transparency and predictability in doing business in the country. When such independence is undermined, it creates additional risks and uncertainties that directly affect our business plans and overall willingness to invest.

This decision may significantly reduce the trust of international partners and potential investors, including ours, and negatively affect Ukraine’s investment attractiveness. Therefore, we are closely monitoring developments and very much hope that the authorities will reconsider their positions and confirm the strategic course of strengthening anti-corruption institutions, and not the other way around.