Enhancing Bureau's effectiveness and international cooperation, fighting corruption for Ukraine's effective recovery — NABU's core priorities

Representatives of the National Bureau held a series of meetings with international partners, including the European Public Prosecutor's Office, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (NEAR), the European External Action Service (EEAS) and various Directorates-General in the European Commission. Pierre Elbrun, Special Envoy of the President of France, during a meeting with the NABU leadership, stressed that transparency of processes and absence of corruption are the best guarantees for investment in Ukraine. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Jennes de Mol, supported Director Semen Kryvonos' desire for cooperation and proposals for training and exchange of experience. During the meeting with the staff of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies and representatives of the US Congress, the Director spoke in detail about the principles of independence and effectiveness of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and stressed its revolutionary role in combating top corruption.

The long-standing partnership continued with the signing of a Memorandum between the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation. The authorities will deepen their cooperation in investigating corrupt crimes, combating money laundering, and asset recovery. Thanks to the cooperation between NABU and the FBI, the Bureau's personnel had the opportunity to take advantage of various training programs and receive equipment necessary for effective investigative work. The leadership of the National Bureau and the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau of the Republic of Poland (CBA) met in Lviv to deepen cooperation, increase the effectiveness of anti-corruption investigations, and exchange experience as well as up-to-date practices. The parties emphasized the need for the development of international cooperation among specialized anti-corruption agencies and discussed the initiative to create a network of such organizations from Eastern and Central European countries.

NABU also held meetings with the Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany, Annalena Baerbock, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. "Independence and effectiveness of anti-corruption agencies are the two indicators closely monitored by our international partners. The fight against corruption is not only a critically important direction during times of war. The pace of Ukraine's recovery after victory will depend on the successful implementation of our anti-corruption strategy," said Semen Kryvonos.

Representatives of the National Bureau attended the plenary session of the OECD Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ACN). The ACN noted Ukraine's progress in developing anti-corruption institutions and highly appreciated their achievements. The United States provides comprehensive support for anti-corruption reforms in Ukraine, as the volume and speed of investment in the country's recovery are contingent on the effectiveness of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office. This was a topic of the meeting of the Director of NABU, Semen Kryvonos, and the head of SAPO, Oleksandr Klymenko, with the U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine's Economic Recovery, Penny Pritzker. The meeting was also attended by the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, and the Senior Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of State, Ned Price. Another topic was the risks and challenges faced by NABU and SAPO. NABU Director Semen Kryvonos also met with Michael Mentavos, Special Agent in Charge of the Office of the Inspector General of the US Department of Defence, and Christopher Westhoff, Lead Inspector General for Overseas Contingency Operations. The parties confirmed the provisions of the memorandum signed earlier between NABU Director and the Pentagon Inspector General, Robert Storch. The document is aimed at ensuring the effective use of international aid provided to Ukraine by the US government.

To ensure wide dissemination of information aimed at increasing the legal awareness of the public, the podcasts "Poplava. Anti-Corruption in Detail" and "NABU Secrets" featuring the National Bureau's detectives were published on YouTube. Video commentaries, clarifications and updates on anti-corruption legislation are regularly distributed on social media and on the NABU's official website. Throughout the reporting period, NABU implemented 12 educational projects, including the Anti-Corruption Camp, the NABU'S Anti-Corruption School, the All-Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Moot Court 3.0, webinars, trainings, conferences, forums, and introductory visits for students of Ukrainian higher education institutions.