Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) reported on Saturday that its detectives were obstructed by state security officers while carrying out investigative actions related to a corruption probe involving sitting members of parliament.
In a statement published on its official Telegram channel, NABU said that officers from the State Protection Directorate restricted access and resisted detectives during authorized searches, stressing that any obstruction of investigative actions constitutes a direct violation of the law.
NABU clarified that its detectives were acting within the framework of an ongoing criminal investigation overseen by the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP). However, the agency did not disclose who ordered the restrictions or how long the obstruction lasted.
The incident comes as Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities expand an investigation into an alleged bribery scheme within the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament. Earlier the same day, NABU and SAP announced they had uncovered an organized criminal group, which allegedly included current lawmakers who received illegal payments in exchange for voting in favor of specific parliamentary decisions.
According to investigators, the scheme was systematic in nature and may have involved additional intermediaries. Authorities have not yet revealed the identities of the MPs under investigation, noting that further details will be made public after investigative actions are completed. Prosecutors are currently reviewing multiple voting episodes and potential illicit benefits, each to be assessed under Ukrainian law.
Established after the 2014 Maidan uprising, NABU is regarded by Ukraine’s Western partners as a key pillar of the country’s anti-corruption system. Any interference with its work is likely to draw heightened international scrutiny, particularly as Ukraine seeks to demonstrate progress on rule-of-law reforms amid its ongoing EU integration efforts.
