Regular checks: Zelenskyy wants to introduce lie detector tests for civil servants

While Ukrainian President Zelenskyy wants to restore the independence of the anti-corruption authorities, employees with access to state secrets will have to undergo a very special examination at regular intervals.

Following sharp criticism from the EU and massive protests by thousands of Ukrainians, President Volodymyr Zelensky presented a bill in Kyiv to restore the independence of the anti-corruption authorities. To rule out Russian influence in government agencies, however, all employees with access to state secrets will be subjected to lie detector tests, Zelensky announced in his evening video message. "And these checks must be regular," he said.

He had previously introduced a corresponding new bill on the work of the anti-corruption authorities into parliament – the Verkhovna Rada. This bill provides for lie detector tests within six months.

Nevertheless, there were renewed protests in Kyiv and other cities across the country against Zelensky's law, signed into law on Tuesday in an expedited procedure, which would place anti-corruption campaigners under the authority of the Prosecutor General and thus ultimately the President. The demonstrators demanded the passage of the new law, which would restore the anti-corruption campaigners' previous powers. In Kyiv, the demonstrators gathered within sight of the Presidential Residence for the third consecutive day. However, the number of people gathered remained below the previous day's figures, at just a few hundred.

"The draft law restores all procedural powers and guarantees the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP)," the two agencies wrote on their Telegram channels after Zelenskyy's new legislation became known. NABU and SAP were reportedly involved in drafting the bill.

The timing of the vote in the Rada remains unclear. Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk promised on Facebook that the document would be put to a vote at the next session. However, according to MPs, the Verkhovna Rada is currently on summer recess until mid-August.

Critics accused Zelensky of authoritarian tendencies

The change in the law on Tuesday not only sparked protests in various cities, but also met with incomprehension within the EU. NABU and SAP were founded in 2015 with Western assistance to combat notorious corruption, especially among high-ranking politicians and in the administration. Despite all the reforms, the country, which is aspiring to join the EU, is considered one of the most corrupt countries in Europe by the non-governmental organization Transparency International.

Critics accused Zelensky of authoritarian tendencies by seeking to subjugate the long-independent authorities. Commentators described his failure as a bitter political defeat that left the president in a weakened state.

Zelenskyy also reportedly informed Chancellor Friedrich Merz about the current changes. He added that he had "invited Germany to participate in the expert review of the draft law. Friedrich has assured me of his willingness to support it." The involvement of other European partners, such as Great Britain and the EU, is also planned.

"We all agreed that there must be no Russian interference or influence in the functioning of our anti-corruption infrastructure," Zelensky said after a meeting with officials. "Anyone who has access to state secrets—and this applies not only to NABU and the SAP, but also to the State Bureau of Investigation, our national police—must undergo a lie detector test. And these checks must be regular," Zelensky said.

Such tests have already been conducted, but not at the frequency now planned. However, NABU announced with relief that evening that, according to the draft law, the tests would not be conducted by the SBU, but rather by an internal administrative control body. However, the text published on the Rada website explicitly mentions the SBU for the first inspection after the law comes into force. All subsequent inspections are to be conducted by internal control bodies at least every two years.

Russian attacks again

In his evening message, the Ukrainian president once again condemned the ongoing Russian attacks – despite the direct negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow in Istanbul on Wednesday. With the attacks – such as the one on the market in Odessa and the city of Kharkiv, where more than 40 people were injured – Russia is demonstrating that it has no interest in peace. Many other cities were also once again targeted by Russian drone and bomb attacks, resulting in deaths and injuries.