At the beginning of the third year of full-scale war, justice remains the society's key demand. After all, justice is the foundation that holds Ukrainian society together and brings victory closer. One of the main preconditions of social justice is the fight against corruption. Therefore, the task of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine is quite clear: working in the interests of society and the state, eradicating corruption not just in words, but through concrete actions. The year 2023 became the most successful in the history of NABU. Thanks to internal reorganization, we managed to significantly increase the efficiency of the Bureau's work. And this is not just talk - the numbers and facts presented in the annual report testify to the improvement in the quality of our efforts. Last year, we almost doubled the key indicators: the number of suspects and indictments. This was achieved despite our resources, both financial and procedural, remaining at the level of previous years. In 2024, NABU will face some new challenges. As part of the three-year program to strengthen the Bureau, our staff will be expanded by a hundred people. Most of them will be detectives and analysts, that is, employees directly involved in investigations. This reinforcement will help uncover more corruption crimes. Every official should understand that there will be inevitable consequences for any corrupt practices. I understand that this is a challenge for our organization, and overcoming it is a daunting task. But the results of 2023 give reason for optimism. Behind each figure in the report stands the hard work of our employees, so I thank the Bureau team - every detective, analyst, and staff member - for their integrity and diligent performance of their duties. I thank my colleagues from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office. I thank our international partners for their steadfast support. I thank the public and journalists for their constant oversight and constructive criticism. Together - we are strong!

Despite working under challenging conditions amid the full-scale war with russia in 2023, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office demonstrated its highest annual performance since its establishment. Despite limitations in human resources and institutional capacities, SAPO continues to fight corruption, exposing it at the highest echelons of power, and demonstrating to the people of Ukraine that any malign manifestations will not go unnoticed. In 2023, dozens of judges, members of parliament, and heads of state enterprises were caught committing corrupt offenses. This proves the effectiveness of the cooperation between SAPO and NABU and demonstrates how concerted efforts contribute to significant results. Furthermore, SAPO continues its work on the civil forfeiture front, reclaiming unjustified assets in the state revenue. For almost two years, SAPO has advocated for strengthening its institutional and procedural independence. At the end of 2023, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a law aimed at comprehensively ensuring the independence of SAPO. Its implementation will mark a new stage in the history of the agency. SAPO, as a separate legal entity, faces important managerial tasks. Their solution will contribute to the formation of a professional team united by a common goal and a commitment to flawlessly perform their duties. We are confident that through such strengthening, SAPO will demonstrate significant anticorruption results to the Ukrainian people and international partners. Whatever the circumstances, we have no right to halt Ukraine's path to a European future. The fight goes on.