Ukrainian anti-corruption investigators initiated a search of a property in Germany belonging to a former close advisor to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to reports in the German magazine “Der Spiegel”, Bavarian authorities executed the search on July 15th, acting on a formal request for legal assistance from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).
The timing of the operation has raised concerns, occurring just one week before President Zelenskyy issued decrees temporarily suspending the operations of the NABU and another regulatory body. This action triggered widespread protests within Ukraine and drew criticism from the European Union, with anxieties expressed regarding potential impediments to investigations involving current and former members of Zelenskyy’s inner circle.
Prominent Ukrainian anti-corruption activist Daria Kaleniuk has suggested the case was a contributing factor in the president’s decision to sign the legislation concerning the suspension of NABU. In response to the significant public opposition generated, President Zelenskyy has subsequently proposed a new bill intended to guarantee the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies.
