Back
Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The dismissal of Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko could become a turning point for Ukraine’s entire law enforcement system. After the loud events in parliament, preparations are underway not only for personnel decisions but also for changing the very rules of the game. However, the main question is whether there will be enough political will to adopt new decisions.
People’s Deputy from the Holos faction Yaroslav Yurchyshyn said on the air of 24 Channel that parliament should not only accept Ruslan Kravchenko’s resignation but also break with the old system of personnel appointments. The lawmaker emphasized that the faction will insist on putting a bill on competitive selection of candidates for this post on the agenda.
What the bill on competitive selection provides
According to the MP, Kravchenko’s nighttime border crossing (he said he was going on a business trip) resembles an attempt to hide from investigation. And his attempts to declare illegal, in his words, suspicions against the leadership of anti-corruption bodies (in particular, he signed a suspicion against NABU head Kryvonos) are direct grounds for conducting an investigation into abuse of office, since he is still the acting prosecutor general. The president’s submission on his dismissal is planned to be considered by the Rada in 15 September.
Yurchyshyn noted that bill No.15343, of which he is a coauthor, has already been registered in the Verkhovna Rada. The document provides for a transparent competitive selection of candidates, where their integrity, professionalism, and independence will be checked before submitting lists for the president’s consideration. He stated that today those chosen are not the best specialists but those who are more loyal.
The question is only who will end up on the president’s desk, i.e., which candidates. As a faction, we will demand today at the coordination council that our bill be placed on the agenda. This is not only our demand, it is a condition of financial cooperation with our international partners,
he emphasized.
Analysis of the prosecutor general’s actions and the Verkhovna Rada’s plans: watch the video
Chances for changing the system and next steps
The MP stressed that even after the law is adopted the appointment procedure will comply with the Constitution of Ukraine, since the final candidate will be nominated by the head of state. However, the competitive mechanism will ensure that only worthy specialists make it onto the list of contenders.
I think the chances, especially given what Kravchenko did today, that future candidates will be selected through a transparent competition have increased substantially. It is very important that the next prosecutor general (as in the case of NABU, SEB, SAP) receive a completely independent position through the competition,
Yurchyshyn emphasized.
Recall that the Verkhovna Rada received a submission from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to dismiss Ruslan Kravchenko from the post of prosecutor general. The scandal around the head of the agency escalated after his statements about signing a suspicion against the head of NABU and a person close to the head of the SAP. Anti-corruption bodies called this a systemic attack on their independence.
The conflict flared up after an anti-corruption operation called “Carthage,” during which a criminal organization in the Prosecutor General’s Office was exposed. NABU then reported that the group was involved in covering up fraudulent call centers and received illicit gains.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Це буде ключове: нардеп розкрив, чого Верховна Рада вимагатиме після звільнення Кравченка". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Channel 24.
