SBI History
Adopting the Constitution of Ukraine, Members of the Parliament noted in the Transitional Provisions that the prosecutor's office continues to perform the function of pre-trial investigation until an agency with such powers begins to work.
However, the law on the establishment of the State Bureau of Investigation was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Ukrainian Parliament) only 19 years later, on the 12th November 2015.
On the 14th January 2016, the President of Ukraine signed the law, and on the 29th February, the State Bureau of Investigation was established by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 127. On the 10th May, a competitive selection for the positions of Director and Deputy Directors of the Bureau was announced, which lasted for one and a half year. Only on the 16th November 2017, the Competition Commission decided on the winners.
On the 27th November 2018, the State Bureau of Investigation began to carry out its law enforcement activities for preventing, detecting, terminating, solving and investigating crimes falling under its jurisdiction.
On the 3rd December 2019, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine supported a draft bill No. 2116 On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine on the State Bureau of Investigation regarding the improvement of activities of the State Bureau of Investigation. The strengthening of institutional capacity of the SBI is provided by this Law.
The status of the State Bureau of Investigation was changed by this Law. The State Bureau of Investigation became a state law enforcement agency entrusted with the tasks of preventing, detecting, terminating, solving and investigating crimes falling under its jurisdiction. Prior to that, the State Bureau of Investigation was a central executive authority with law enforcement functions.
The principle of one-man management of the agency was introduced. The Director of the SBI may take single-headed decisions, manage the agency individually, without distribution of these functions amongst his deputies, and he is responsible for the activities of the SBI.
The maximum number of staff members of the SBI was increased to 1.600 persons.