• The frequency of instances where security agents and prosecutors are under investigation for working with the enemy raises concerns for the heads of the concerned organizations.
• According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who earlier today signed orders expelling Iryna Venediktova, the prosecutor general, and Ivan Bakanov, the head of the security service.
• “I decided to remove the Prosecutor General from her post and remove the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (from his duties – ed.).

Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office has already been chosen, therefore the selection commission is now in charge.

In a video message to the country on Sunday, the head of state discussed the problem.

“I want everyone who has a stake in the exceedingly delicate decision of who will lead the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office to pay attention to what I have to say. In my capacity as President of Ukraine, I believe that the competition that has taken place must result in a totally rational choice for the selection of a new leader. The selection commission will determine whether the correct person was chosen and make the final decision “The president made a point.

The President asserts that the SAPO cannot operate to its full potential without a chief.

“By the way, the same applies to the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine. The term of office of the previous head has expired. And a competitive procedure for the selection of a new NABU head should take place. I instructed the Prime Minister of Ukraine to speed up the process of launching the corresponding competition,” the head of state emphasized.

As previously mentioned, the commission to choose the leadership of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office made an announcement on December 21, 2021, ranking the contenders for the positions of the agency’s head and deputy, as well as the head of the fifth department, based on the outcomes of the competition. Oleksandr Klymenko, a detective with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, came in first place among those applying for the role of SAPO head (246 points). The commission members also declined to formally endorse the competition’s outcome at the time.

The appointment of the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) is theoretically the simplest of the EU’s recommendations to carry out, according to Matti Maasikas, head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine. Brussels is awaiting the next moves the Ukrainian authorities will make on the matter.