The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (, САП, SAPO) is an independent structural unit of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, and is primarily responsible for supporting and overseeing criminal investigations launched by the

National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine () is a Ukrainian Government, Ukrainian law enforcement agency, law enforcement anti-corruption agency which investigates corruption in Ukraine and prepares cases for prosecution. It has investig ...

(NABU).

Role

The office is legally empowered with: supervision over observance of laws during conducting of operational search activity of pre-trial investigation by the NABU; the maintenance of state prosecution in relevant proceedings; and the representation of the interests of a citizen or state in court in cases provided for by law and related to corruption or corruption-related offenses. In contrast to SAPO and NABU, the

National Agency on Corruption Prevention The National Agency on Corruption Prevention (, НАЗК, NACP) is a national anti-corruption agency of the Ukrainian government which is responsible for shaping and implementing anti-corruption policy, while creating an environment conducive ...

aims at preventing corruption by creating an environment that discourages corruption and by proposing legislation.

Creation

The prospect of visa liberalization ( visa-free travel to the

Schengen Area The Schengen Area ( , ) encompasses European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their common borders. As an element within the wider area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) policy of the European Union (EU), it ...

) between Ukraine and the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

was closely linked with the process of creating the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.

Leadership and structure

The first head of SAPO, Prosecutor Nazar Kholodnytskyi, was appointed in December 2015. On 26 May 2020

Prosecutor General of Ukraine The Prosecutor General of Ukraine (also ''Procurator General''; , ) heads the system of official prosecution in courts known as the Office of the Prosecutor General (, or, before 2020, ). The prosecutor general is appointed and dismissed by th ...

Iryna Venediktova accused him and his fellow anti-corruption prosecutors (in a video message) of "improper performance of official duties" and failing cases against current MP's.Kholodnytsky resigned from the SAP

Ukrayinska Pravda ''Ukrainska Pravda'' is a Ukrainian socio-political online media outlet founded by Heorhii Gongadze in April 2000. After Gongadze’s death in September 2000, the editorial team was led by co-founder Olena Prytula, who remained the editor-in ...

(21 August 2020) Kholodnytsky resigned on 21 August 2020. In his resignation letter, he claimed that the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office had "systematically faced political attempts to encroach on our independence and manipulate the results of our work." A commission carried out an open procedure of vetting candidates for the new head and deputy of SAPO in 2021. Out of 37 candidates, only two passed the initial vetting. Oleksandr Klymenko was the clear winner, with 246 points, as assessed in a meeting by the commission on 21 December 2021. Andrii Syniuk was second, with 229 points. On 19 July 2022, the commission formally voted and announced Klymenko as the winner, with Syniuk winning the position of deputy head of SAPO. The formal appointments were to be made by the Prosecutor General's Office. Appointing the head of SAPO was listed by the European Union (EU) as one of the conditions for Ukraine to retain candidate EU membership status. Klymenko was formally appointed on 28 July 2022 by newly elected

Andriy Kostin Andriy Yevhenovych Kostin (; born 17 April 1973) is a Ukrainian lawyer, politician and diplomat. He was elected as a People's Deputy of Ukraine in 2019. Kostin was a candidate in the 2021 competition to become the new head of the Ukrainian S ...

Heads of SAPO

* Nazar Kholodnytskyi (2015 – 2020)Nazar Kholodnytsky appointed Anti-Corruption Prosecutor of Ukraine – PGO

Interfax-Ukraine Interfax-Ukraine () is a Ukrainian news agency. Founded in 1992, the company publishes in Ukrainian, Russian, English and German. The company owns a 50-seat press centre. The staff of the agency is 105 people (as of the end of February 2022) ...

(12 December 2015), Ukrainian Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Resigns

Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...

(21 August 2020), * Oleksandr Klymenko (28 July 2022 – present)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anti-Corruption Committee of Ukraine Government agencies of Ukraine Euromaidan Corruption in Ukraine Specialist law enforcement agencies of Ukraine Anti-corruption agencies General Prosecutors of Ukraine

Role

Creation

Leadership and structure

Heads of SAPO

See also

References