Ambassadors of the countries of the "Group of Seven" (G7) in Ukraine published a statement in which they expressed disappointment with the refusal of the members of the commission appointed by the Verkhovna Rada to determine the winner of the selection for the position of the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, writes UNN.

"The G7 ambassadors are disappointed by the refusal of the members of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office selection committee appointed by the Verkhovna Rada to determine the winner of the candidate with the most points. This further delay is unjustified and contrary to Ukraine's commitment to appoint a permanent head," the G7 ambassadors said in a statement released on December 22.

The ambassadors urge the selection committee to "meet as soon as possible to complete the process."

"The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, like all independent anti-corruption institutions, needs to be strengthened to ensure the rule of law and the effective fight against corruption," the statement said.

On December 21, the commission for the selection of the head of the SAP announced the results, but did not approve the winner. Thus, the competition commission released the results of the competition, according to which the NABU detective Alexander Klimenko received 246 points, while the UCP prosecutor Andriy Sinyuk received 229 points.

The day before one of the commission members Roman Kuybida said that five members of the competitive commission for the selection for managerial positions in the SAP, appealed to the head of the commission to schedule the next meeting for the evening of December 23. Commission members, he said, also confirmed their ability to participate, therefore there should be a quorum. But so far there has been no answer, Kuybida added. According to him, a special check of the candidates has been carried out and "we have the results - the certificates about the absence of obstacles to the appointment".

In September 2020, the Verkhovna Rada supported the draft resolution No 4104 on the appointment of representatives of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in the commission for holding a competition for administrative positions in the SAP.

After that, international diplomats said that the commission should start a transparent process based on the virtues and merits of the candidates. Further EU and U.S. support will depend on it.

On October 13, 2020, the first meeting of the commission for the competition for administrative positions in the SAP was held. Thus, the meeting began with the members of the commission arguing for more than an hour about the participation of one of its elected members in the work of the commission.

In October, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the competition for the position of the head of the SAP will end this year.

However, the OACC decided to block the competition for the head of the SAP, cancelling the order of the competition commission. They decided to appeal the decision.

Zelenskyy said that the head of the SAP will be elected in time. They "do not see any grounds for delaying the tender".