NABU refused to return corruption proceeds to Ukraine’s state budget

The functions of Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) do not include returning corrupt money to the state budget.

This was stated by NABU head Semen Kryvonos during a report on the activities of NABU and Ukraine’s Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) for the second half of 2025; the broadcast was streamed on the organization’s YouTube channel.

“How do we assess the economic effect of NABU’s actions? Returning funds to the state budget is not our main function,” the bureau chief said.

Kryvonos added that the work of Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) also includes a “corruption component.” At the same time, he noted that the SBI’s funding is larger than NABU’s.

In January, Kryvonos said that NABU cooperates with the FBI and exchanges information with the American agency. He noted that the bureau holds meetings with the U.S. side and can send it requests.

Earlier, Ukrainian lawmaker Anna Skorokhod said that NABU, SAPO, and other anti-corruption bodies are the country’s main enemies. She claimed that the republic is currently looking for scapegoats and turning people into “informants.”