Ukraine’s parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly passed legislation restoring the independence of the country’s leading anti-corruption agencies, reversing a controversial law enacted last week that placed them under the prosecutor general’s control.

The new law was adopted by Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, with 331 votes in favor and none opposed. The law reestablishes the autonomy of the country’s anti-graft bodies, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).

Created in 2015, NABU and SAPO were designed as independent bodies to fight high-level corruption following the Euromaidan revolution. Their continued autonomy is considered critical to securing international aid and progressing toward European Union (EU) membership.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the bill into law on Thursday. It was immediately published in the parliament’s newspaper, Holos Ukrainy, and thus took force the next day, Friday.

Zelenskyy stated, “I want to thank all members of parliament for passing my bill, now a law … This is a guarantee of the proper independent functioning of Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies and all law enforcement agencies.”

The move follows widespread demonstrations across Ukraine, including Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, and Dnipro. The demonstrations are the largest since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

Protesters condemned the earlier law, No. 4555-IX, which took effect on July 22, for undermining judicial independence and threatening Ukraine’s EU accession progress. The prior law gave the prosecutor general authority to oversee NABU and SAPO operations, including the power to reassign cases and issue binding orders.

Two days after defending the July law, Zelenskyy reversed course amid public pressure and Western condemnation.

The EU welcomed the new legislation. EU enlargement commissioner, Marta Kos, stated, “The (Verkhovna) Rada corrected last week’s damaging vote undermining NABU’s & SAPO’s independence…Upholding fundamental values & fighting corruption must remain the priority.”

Foreign Minister Andrii Saybiha affirmed the government’s commitment, declaring, “Ukraine is committed to reforms and the fight against corruption on our path to the EU and NATO. We got it fixed.”

“Everyone is a winner, but first and foremost, democratic Ukraine is the winner,” head of the Ukrainian president’s office, Andriy Yermak, further added.