Latest news with #PGO
5 days ago
- Politics
Zelenskyy urges 'national unity' amid Ukraine anti-corruption protests
LONDON -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday urged national unity as demonstrators took to the streets of more than a dozen cities nationwide to protest a controversial bill that critics said will neuter two key anti-corruption agencies. Ukrainian media estimated that thousands of people gathered near the presidential office in the capital Kyiv on Wednesday evening, despite a nightly curfew and the ever-present threat of Russian drone and missile strikes. Those gathered were protesting a controversial law approved by parliament and signed by Zelenskyy on Tuesday. The bill will bring the Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and its partner organization, the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), under the direct control of the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO). The prosecutor general is appointed by the president, prompting concern among critics that the law will give the president's office undue influence over NABU and SAPO. The president sought to ease tensions on Wednesday, promising to put forward a new bill to ensure the independence of the anti-corruption bodies. Zelenskyy said in a post to Telegram that he met with the heads of all law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies. "We agreed that the heads of these institutions will jointly propose an action plan -- a plan of concrete steps that can strengthen the rule of law in Ukraine," he wrote. "Of course, everyone has heard what people are saying these days -- what they are saying on social media, to each other, on the streets. It's not falling on deaf ears." "We've analyzed all the concerns, all the aspects of what needs to be changed and what needs to be stepped up," he added. "And what will remain most important is not losing our national unity, ending the war, stopping this Russian evil and securing a dignified peace for Ukraine," Zelenskyy wrote. "And exactly as we all envision it -- as a full-fledged part of Europe. We'll make it happen." Both NABU and SAPO were set up in the aftermath of Ukraine's pro-Western Maidan Revolution in 2014, with the intention of rooting out systemic corruption and helping Kyiv reform its democratic system with an eye on EU accession. Critics of the new legislation say it constitutes a power grab by Zelenskyy and his presidential office -- which is headed by influential chief of staff Andriy Yermak -- that undermines Ukrainian democracy and threatens the country's EU ambitions. Zelenskyy and his supporters have defended the measures as necessary to root out Russian influence in NABU and SAPO. The passing of the law followed a series of raids on NABU employees by officers from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the PGO on Monday. Officers also began inspecting the handling of state secrets at SAPO. "The anti-corruption infrastructure will work," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram late on Tuesday. "Only without Russian influences -- everything needs to be cleansed of this. And there should be more justice." The domestic political crisis erupted as a Ukrainian delegation headed to Istanbul, Turkey, for the latest round of ceasefire talks with Russian negotiators. Wednesday's meeting there ended after less than an hour. Vladimir Medinsky, who led the Russian delegation, told reporters after the talks that the two sides agreed on a new prisoner exchange of at least 1,200 people. The two sides also discussed the memoranda exchanged during the last round of talks on June 2, Medinsky said, adding that the delegations were "quite far from each other." The parties agreed to continue negotiations, Medinsky said. When asked about a potential meeting between Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Medinsky said any potential meeting should be carefully prepared. Cross-border drone strikes continued despite the new talks. Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces downed 42 Ukrainian drones overnight into Thursday morning. Russian drones and missiles, meanwhile, targeted Odesa, Cherkasy, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Sumy and Mykolaiv regions, Zelenskyy said in a post to Telegram. The president said Russia launched 103 strike drones and four missiles into the country on Wednesday night. "Russia does not stop its terror, blocks diplomacy and that is why it deserves full-scale sanctions responses and our strikes on its logistics, military bases and military production facilities," the president wrote. "We will do everything to make diplomacy work," he added. "But it is Russia that must end this war that it started itself."
6 days ago
- Politics
Zelenskyy faces major anti-corruption protests as Ukraine prepares for Russia talks
LONDON -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is facing protests across the country after signing a controversial bill on Tuesday that critics say will neuter the independence of two prominent anti-corruption bodies. As Ukrainian and Russian delegations prepare to meet in Istanbul, Turkey, for a new round of ceasefire talks, Zelenskyy and his allies are facing a groundswell of opposition at home. On Tuesday, Zelenskyy signed a controversial law passed by parliament that will bring the Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and its partner organization, the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), under the direct control of the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO). Both bodies were set up in the aftermath of Ukraine's pro-Western Maidan Revolution in 2014, with the intention of rooting out systemic corruption and helping Kyiv reform its democratic system with an eye on European Union accession. The passing of the new legislation this week prompted protests in Kyiv and other major cities across Ukraine, with demonstrators even violating the nighttime curfew imposed as a guard against nightly Russian drone and missile strikes. A spokesperson for the European Commission warned the move could undermine Ukraine's potential bid to join the EU. Kyiv's European funding, they added, is "conditional on progress on transparency, judicial reform and democratic government." Transparency International's Ukraine branch, meanwhile, said the move represented a "massive setback in anti-corruption reform" and a "direct threat to Ukraine's path to the EU." The passage of the bill followed dozens of raids on NABU employees by officers from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the PGO on Monday. Officers also began inspecting the handling of state secrets at SAPO. Zelenskyy and his supporters have framed the measures as necessary to root out Russian infiltration and influence within Ukraine's anti-corruption bodies. "The anti-corruption infrastructure will work," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram late on Tuesday. "Only without Russian influences -- everything needs to be cleansed of this. And there should be more justice." "Of course, NABU and SAPO will work. And it is important that the Prosecutor General is determined to ensure that in Ukraine the inevitability of punishment for those who go against the law is really ensured," he added. "And this is what is really needed for Ukraine. The cases that were pending must be investigated." "For years, officials who fled Ukraine have been living peacefully abroad for some reason -- in very nice countries and without legal consequences," Zelenskyy continued. "This is abnormal. There is no rational explanation why criminal proceedings worth billions have been 'hanging' for years. And there is no explanation why the Russians can still get the information they need." "It is important that there is an inevitability of punishment and that society really sees this," the president wrote. The bill was passed by the Ukrainian parliament -- the Rada -- by 263 representatives, having quickly moved through committee. Thirteen MPs voted against, 13 abstained and 35 did not vote. It was supported in parliament by members of Zelenskyy's Servant of the People party, as well as former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's Batkivshchyna party. The Opposition Platform – For Life party, which is widely considered pro-Russian and has had several representatives accused of treason during the war, also backed the measure. Oleksandr Merezhko, a member of Zelenskyy's party and the chair of the parliament's foreign affairs committee, told ABC News he backed the legislation though admitted he had "some doubts" about its content. "I trust the president," Merezkho said. "In such cases I normally also trust the decision of the committee." Merezhko said his concerns were over "what consequences it might have from the perspective of the negotiations with the EU on our membership." European counterparts, Merezhko continued, "are worried and they are asking questions. I think that we need better communication with our European partners on that issue." "There might be some sensitive aspects which need clear explanation to our partners by the president," he added. "I'm personally in favor of the independence of the anti-corruption bodies. But I'm also in favor of the true rule of law of the state in Ukraine." Zelenskyy's decision to sign the divisive bill has piqued concern of an anti-democratic power grab by the president and his inner circle -- chief among them Andriy Yermak, the head of the presidential office. A former Ukrainian official, who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisal, told ABC News, "We are not losing the war because the West did not give us enough weapons. We are losing the war because of corruption, lack of professional management and because many do not see why they should fight for Zelenskyy's autocracy." "Yermak is just a good implementor of Zelenskyy's will," the former official added. Vitaliy Shabunin, a prominent Ukrainian anti-corruption activist who previously headed the first Public Oversight Council at NABU, said the bill will allow the prosecutor general -- who is appointed by the president -- to "shut down all investigations involving the president's friends." Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko -- who has repeatedly clashed with Zelenskyy's administration during Russia's full-scale war -- joined protesters in the capital on Tuesday. The new measure, he wrote on Telegram, "definitely does not bring Ukraine closer to the European Union. It certainly does not bring it closer to democracy, the rule of law, and legality -- to those values for which our soldiers are dying today in a bloody struggle against the aggressor." Proponents of the bill "are dragging Ukraine faster and faster into authoritarianism," the mayor added, "hiding behind the war, destroying anti-corruption bodies, local self-government, silencing activists and journalists." "Yes, there are many questions about the independence, impartiality, and adherence to legal procedures by all law enforcement agencies," Klitschko continued. "But the system needs to be changed, not turned into a bulldog of the authorities." "And we must not forget that sooner or later, all actions will have to be accounted for -- both politically and legally," the mayor wrote.
The Star
01-06-2025
- The Star
Man dies, five houses destroyed in Bintulu fires
KUCHING: The atmosphere of the Gawai Day celebration in Sarawak was marred when a man died while five terrace houses were destroyed in two separate fire incidents that occurred in Bintulu. According to the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department operations centre, the first incident on Saturday night (May 31) left 21 people homeless, while another fire early Sunday morning (May 31) claimed the life of one victim In the first incident, five single-storey terrace houses of the permanent structure were 100% destroyed in a fire at Kidurong MLNG Housing, Jalan Abang Usop, Bintulu, on Saturday night. The emergency call was received at 11.43pm on Saturday. 18 department personnel from the Kidurong Fire and Rescue Station and Bintulu station managed to extinguish the fire at 6.25am on Sunday. In the second incident, a man identified as Wong Jun Din, in his 50s, was confirmed dead in a fire at a non-permanent house on Jalan Sibiew, near SJK Siong Boon at 2:32am on Sunday. "The victim is believed to have been trapped but was successfully pulled out by other residents in an unconscious state with burn marks all over his body, before being confirmed dead by the Ministry of Health medical team at the scene," said a statement on the PGO's official WhatsApp. Three other occupants were reported to have survived the incident. The cause of the fire and the total loss from both incidents are still under investigation. – Bernama
The Sun
01-06-2025
- The Sun
Man dies, five houses destroyed in Bintulu fires
KUCHING: The atmosphere of the Gawai Day celebration in Sarawak was marred when a man died while five terrace houses were destroyed in two separate fire incidents that occurred in Bintulu early this morning. According to the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) operations centre (PGO), the first incident on Saturday night left 21 people homeless, while another fire early Sunday morning claimed the life of one victim In the first incident, five single-storey terrace houses of the permanent structure were 100 per cent destroyed in a fire at Kidurong MLNG Housing, Jalan Abang Usop, Bintulu, on Saturday night. The emergency call was received at 11.43 pm on Saturday before 18 JBPM personnel from the Kidurong Fire and Rescue Station (BBP) and Bintulu BBP managed to extinguish the fire at 6.25 am today. In the second incident, a man identified as Wong Jun Din in his 50s was confirmed dead in a fire at a non-permanent house on Jalan Sibiew, near SJK Siong Boon at 2:32 am Sunday. 'The victim is believed to have been trapped but was successfully pulled out by other residents in an unconscious state with burn marks all over his body, before being confirmed dead by the Ministry of Health medical team at the scene,' said a statement on the PGO's official WhatsApp. Three other occupants were reported to have survived the incident. The cause of the fire and the total loss from both incidents are still under investigation.
New Straits Times
28-04-2025
- General
- New Straits Times
French couple found safe after getting lost hiking
SANDAKAN: A French couple was found safe after getting lost while hiking at the Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC) in Sandakan today. Santarelli Antolne Pierre, 36, and his wife, Girodet Charlene, 36, were located by RDC rangers who were part of the search and rescue (SAR) operation at 3.08pm. The Sabah Fire and Rescue Department's Operations Centre (PGO) received an emergency call about the missing hikers at 1.24pm. "The caller, who was one of the victims, reported that they had gotten lost in the forest while hiking," a department spokesman said in a statement. A team from the Sandakan Fire and Rescue Station, along with RDC rangers, was deployed to the couple's location, approximately seven kilometres from the entrance by land. The spokesman added that RDC rangers, who were also involved in the operation by boat, successfully located the couple. Both were confirmed safe and were taken to Kampung Bambangan via the shorter sea route, as it was just two kilometres away compared to the longer land route. They were later transported back to the RDC by the Forestry Department.
