President Volodymyr Zelensky signed bill No. 13533 on strengthening the powers of NABU and SAPO, as well as bill No. 13573, which provides for an increase in spending on the defense sector.
He reported this on Telegram.
Draft law on NABU and SAPO
"As soon as I sign the document, the text will be published immediately. This is a guarantee of the normal, independent work of anti-corruption bodies, all law enforcement agencies of our state. The decision is correct," he noted.
Bill No. 13533 repeals a number of provisions that were introduced in the previous bill No. 13414. In particular, the subordination of SAPO to the Prosecutor General is abolished. The agency will be subordinate to a separate head and his deputies.
The Prosecutor General was prohibited from entrusting the pre-trial investigation of an offense that falls under the jurisdiction of NABU to other bodies.
The Prosecutor General is also prohibited from giving written instructions to the detective and internal control units of NABU or to prosecutors of SAPO.
The document also stipulates that employees of NABU, SAPO, Bureau of Economic Investigations, Prosecutor Generalʼs Office, and State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) who have access to state secrets will have to undergo a polygraph test every two years to determine whether they have committed acts in favour of Russia. These tests are to be conducted by the internal control units of these bodies.
Within six months from the date of entry into force of this law, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) must conduct the same check of employees.
The NABU employees are also prohibited from traveling abroad during martial law, except for official trips.
Draft law on amendments to the state budget
The document proposes to increase defense spending by UAH 412.3 billion, of which 115 billion will be spent on financial support for servicemen of all Defense Forces. Another UAH 216 billion will be spent on the purchase and production of weapons, military equipment, and drones, and the remaining funds will be spent on other military needs.
The document also provides for a new distribution of income tax (DIT) from August 1, 2025.
This means that 60% will be directed to the Ministry of Defense to purchase drones, weapons, and military equipment (this is an additional UAH 22.4 billion for the Ministry of Defense, they have already been taken into account in the total increase). Another 30% will be directed to the State Special Communications Service for drones, and 10% for the needs of the brigades.
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