Oleksii Shevchuk Announces He Is Stepping Down as a Member of the SAPO Commission

On September 3, Oleksii Shevchuk — a member of the Commission for the Selection of the Deputy Head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office — published an appeal to Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko on his social media. In it, Shevchuk announced that he was stepping down as a member of the SAPO commission as of September 7, 2026.

In the published appeal, Shevchuk again set out his belief that pressure had been put on him, and that the Commission had not properly considered the matter. As reported earlier, the main topic of the SAPO commission’s September 1 meeting was that Shevchuk — without coordinating his position with the other members — had gone public with an assessment of the reports coming in to the competition’s Secretariat. Having considered the matter, five of the six Commission members (all but Shevchuk himself) decided to approach the Prosecutor General with a recommendation to remove Oleksii Shevchuk from his position as a Commission member. 

In his appeal to the Prosecutor General, Shevchuk also again insisted that once he lays down his powers, the entire Commission will lose its authority to act: “Based on the provisions of the regulations that define the Commission’s composition and powers, I believe that, with one of the six designated members absent, the Commission will lack the proper composition to continue exercising its powers, and its continuation of the competition procedure would create significant risks to the lawfulness and legitimacy of the decisions taken.” Shevchuk therefore maintains that the Commission’s work in its current composition must be halted and a new composition formed.

This assertion is not true: the law sets a threshold for taking decisions at a meeting — the participation of at least four of the six members.

So even if the Prosecutor General later decides on removal, and appointing a replacement drags on, that does not necessarily mean the Commission’s work will grind to a halt.

The Prosecutor General is now to consider both appeals and reach a decision. It is worth noting that, back when the Commission was being formed, TI Ukraine and other civil society organizations called on Prosecutor General Kravchenko to reconsider his decision to appoint Oleksii Shevchuk to the Commission selecting SAPO’s leadership, since his candidacy could jeopardize the legitimacy of the entire competition.

Applications from candidates for the post of SAPO deputy head are being accepted until September 21.