"They decided to take the entire country hostage": Kravchenko accused NABU and SAPO of attempting to seize control over all branches of government

Former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, on the eve of the vote on his dismissal, accused anti-corruption bodies of attempting to seize control over state institutions and to pressure the president, parliament, and members of parliament.

Kravchenko wrote this on the eve of the Verkhovna Rada vote.

According to him, over the past day, attempts have allegedly been made in Ukraine to take control of all branches of government.

«In the last day, we have witnessed attempts to take control of all branches of power. By pressuring the president, they have, in a manner unrelated to legal procedure or the letter of the law, gone so far as to "cancel" their own suspicions,» Kravchenko stated.

He questioned the legality of such actions and spoke of pressure on the president, the leader of the largest parliamentary faction, and members of parliament.

«Is this possible in a state governed by the rule of law? Is this possible without pressure on the president? Is this possible without pressure on the leader of the largest faction in parliament? Is this possible without daily pressure on members of parliament, who, under the threat of yet another fabricated criminal case, turn a blind eye to complete lawlessness? Is this possible with the complete impunity and permissiveness of the leadership of certain law enforcement agencies that have decided to take the entire country hostage?» Kravchenko wrote.

He also hinted that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could yield to such pressure and begin influencing deputies to pass certain laws. This likely refers to the Kachka-Kos package of laws.

Kravchenko stressed that the Constitution of Ukraine and the law «On the Legal Regime of Martial Law» do not grant the president the right to demand that members of parliament adopt decisions that fall within their exclusive powers.

«Neither the Constitution of Ukraine nor the Law of Ukraine "On the Legal Regime of Martial Law" grants the president the authority to demand that deputies make decisions that belong to their exclusive powers,» he noted.

The former prosecutor general also confirmed that he had blocked attempts by the NABU and SAPO to notify members of parliament of suspicions.

According to him, while serving as Prosecutor General, he received dozens of materials from anti-corruption bodies regarding suspicions against members of parliament. Kravchenko considers a significant portion of these materials unfounded or legally unsubstantiated.

«I did not block lawful decisions — I did not allow the Prosecutor General’s signature to become a tool of political pressure by the NABU and SAPO on elected representatives,» Kravchenko stated.

He added that he had fulfilled his promise to parliament and had not signed any, in his assessment, politically motivated procedural decisions.

«Neither against representatives of the opposition nor against deputies of the ruling political force. Because such actions clearly had a political subtext and attempts to take control of the country’s sole legislative body,» Kravchenko wrote.

Ruslan Kravchenko is considered close to David Arakhamia, head of the parliamentary faction «Servant of the People».

"They decided to take the entire country hostage": Kravchenko accused NABU and SAPO of attempting to seize control over all branches of government

"They decided to take the entire country hostage": Kravchenko accused NABU and SAPO of attempting to seize control over all branches of government