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"High costs, low returns, operational failures, extremely low efficiency of detectives, drawn-out investigations, and manipulation of expert analyses – NABU must be disbanded," the expert wrote.
He noted that during wartime, when the need to fund the defense sector is critical, the state cannot afford to spend billions on institutions that "devour the budget" without delivering tangible results.
"Ukraine constantly needs funds to finance the army. To increase those funds, we can either cut certain expenses or raise taxes. Clearly, no one wants higher taxes, especially in these difficult times. That leaves us with cutting costs – starting with ineffective institutions that are currently consuming billions from the state budget. And the first candidate to be let go is NABU, whose inefficiency is already evident even to international experts," Posternak said.
The political expert cited an example of economic inefficiency: according to him, the state has spent over 10 billion hryvnias on NABU’s operations over the past 10 years, while actual revenues resulting from court rulings in NABU cases amounted to roughly 800 million hryvnias.
"That means for every 1 hryvnia returned to the state budget, NABU spent... 12 (!) hryvnias! Impressive 'efficiency'," he emphasized.
Posternak also pointed to the low number of investigations per detective and the bureau's lack of initiative.
"Last year, NABU launched 669 criminal proceedings, which amounts to just 2–3 cases per detective. For comparison, one the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) investigator simultaneously handles between 300 and 1,000 cases," the expert noted.
In his view, NABU often does not initiate its own investigations but primarily works with case materials passed on by other law enforcement agencies, such as SBI or the National Police. He also cited examples of prolonged investigations that end in acquittals or never make it to court.
"NABU detectives are known for high-profile exposures of top officials, but to bring such an exposure to a verdict, even ten years is often not enough," Posternak said.
He also raised concerns about questionable expert analyses that, according to him, undermine the quality of pre-trial investigations. Among the cases he mentioned was "Rotterdam Plus", in which the analysis was conducted by a company whose official business classification codes allow it to provide "astrological and spiritual services", but not land valuation or forensic expertise.
Posternak called for a radical reset of the country’s anti-corruption system.
"So, to summarize: high expenditures with low returns, compounded by the professional inefficiency of detectives, lack of initiative, dubious expert analyses, and corruption scandals among staff. That is the current state of NABU. And it demands drastic measures. The first step is to disband the Bureau and create a new, functional anti-corruption system. Otherwise, nothing will change," he concluded.
