National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine


National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine or NABU is a Ukrainian law enforcement anti-corruption agency which investigates corruption in Ukraine and prepares cases for prosecution. It has investigatory powers but cannot indict suspects. Only agency findings passed to the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office become a part of criminal case.
The agency was established in 2014 after its predecessor, the National Anti-Corruption Committee was considered a failure. The bureau was created on the request of the International Monetary Fund.
The agency is set to employ 700 people. Its first 70 detectives started work on 1 October 2015.
The agency's government funding is mandated under American and European Union aid programs. It has an evidence-sharing agreement with the FBI.
The Ukrainian government also employs the National Agency for Prevention of Corruption which works to prevent corruption by monitoring government officials' lifestyles.

History

National Anti-Corruption Committee

The position of Commissioner for anti-corruption policy was established by the second Tymoshenko Government on 24 April 2009. Its first meeting took place on 22 April 2010; at the time most of its members were government officials. In September 2011 then President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych became head of the National Anti-Corruption Committee, while the Justice Minister served as the secretary of the committee. At that time the committee was tasked to give systematic analysis and to develop measures to combat corruption.

Commissioner for anti-corruption policy

6 March 2014 Tetiana Chornovol become the Commissioner for anti-corruption policy. At the time the organization was set to employ 1,200 people in seven regional offices. Chornovol resigned on 18 August 2014 because "there is no political will in Ukraine to carry out a hard-edged, large-scale war against corruption".

Anti-Corruption Bureau

Founding and launching the National Anti-Corruption Bureau was one of the requirements set by the IMF and the European Commission for relaxation of visa restrictions between Ukraine and the European Union.
On 14 October 2014 Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law "On the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine".
In January 2015 for the first time in history of modern Ukraine an open competition for position of director of a state agency was announced. 186 candidates applied for the position of Director of the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine. The winner of the competition was Artem Sytnyk.
On 16 April 2015 the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko signed two decrees: № 217/2015 – decree on founding the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine and №218/2015 — decree on appointing Artem Sytnyk the Bureau's Director. This provided a starting point for a new state agency. The first order signed by the NABU Director on 23 April 2015 approved the Bureau's structure and staffing. On 24 April Gizo Uglava was appointed First Deputy Director. Later two more Deputy Directors were appointed: Anatoly Novak and Tetyana Varvarska.
On 7 May the Bureau was given premises At 3 Vasylya Surykova street, Kiev.
On 30 November 2015 the competition for the position of the Head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, on which the start of the NABU work depended, was over. Nazar Kholodnitskiy took the position.
On 4 December the NABU detectives entered the first three criminal proceedings concerning the theft of state owned companies' funds to the value of 1 billion UAH into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations.
The agency's detectives underwent training sponsored by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and the European Union.
From June 2017 the NABU Director is a member of the EUACI's Steering Committee. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau is one of the beneficiaries this program.

2019

In March, two criminal proceedings were opened regarding involvement of people from Petro Poroshenko's team in the theft in the defense sphere. Ex-First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleh Hladkovsky, his son Ihor and other persons were searched.
In November, the Bureau served notice of suspicion to one of the richest Ukrainians, Oleg Bakhmatyuk, over the NBU's takeover of a $1.2bn USD loan.
In November, the deputy chief of the Kyiv City Customs and the Odessa businessman Vadim Alperin, whom the media called "the king" and the "godfather" of Ukrainian smuggling, were detained. Investigators assert he unsuccessfully offered NABU detective a bribe of $800,000.

Relationship with other anti-corruption bodies

NABU is one of three anti-corruption pillar institutions in Ukraine, created after the Euromaidan revolution.

National Agency for Prevention of Corruption

The National Agency for Prevention of Corruption seeks to 'shapes and implements anti-corruption policy while creating an environment conducive to corruption prevention'. While NABU focuses on law-enforcement, the NACP shapes policy and develops regulations that help prevent corruption and ensures compliance.
It is responsible for verifying the accuracy of government officials' asset and income declarations. In July 2016, its civil society representative, Rouslan Riaboshapka, criticised the hiring process, saying that the agency was choosing the lowest-scoring candidates.

Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office

The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office supports and oversees criminal investigations launched by NABU, by drawing up indictments and bringing them before the courts.

Control over the bureau

The direct control over the bureau is conducted by the parliamentary committee on issues of fighting organized crime and corruption.
The NABU director