World Bank: Impartiality and integrity of Special Anticorruption Prosecutor Office critical to combating corruption in Ukraine

"The effectiveness, impartiality, and integrity of the Special Anticorruption Prosecutor Office (SAPO) is critical to Ukraine’s fight against corruption. The Ukrainian people deserve nothing less. The World Bank has supported the establishment of Ukraine’s new anticorruption institutions. We will continue to follow developments in the prosecution of cases that can be heard by Ukraine’s new High Anti-Corruption Court," the World Bank Ukraine posted on Facebook.

As reported, on July 26, the Qualifications and Disciplinary Commission of Prosecutors decided not to remove Head of the Special Anticorruption Prosecutor Office of Ukraine Nazar Kholodnytsky from office. He will be reprimanded.

Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine Artem Sytnyk said that he would appeal against the reprimand to Kholodnytsky.

The United States said that Kholodnytsky should leave his post to keep up the reputation of the Special Anticorruption Prosecutor Office.

On March 30, Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuri Lutsenko and Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine Artem Sytnyk sent a complaint to the Qualifications and Disciplinary Commission of Prosecutors about committing disciplinary violations by the Head of the Special Anticorruption Prosecutor Office and asked to remove Kholodnytsky from his post. The complaints of NABU and PGO described five episodes of violations by Kholodnytsky. In particular, he was charged with putting obstacles in the investigation into a number of criminal proceedings by NABU.

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