Poland liquidates the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau: why this is an alarming signal for NABU
Kyiv • UNN
Poland decided to transfer the functions of the CBA to the police, the Internal Security Agency, and the Tax Administration. This happened due to a loss of trust in the CBA, which became politicized and ineffective, which is an alarming signal for NABU.
Poland has decided to liquidate the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) from May 1, 2026. This is the body that for more than fifteen years was a symbol of "zero tolerance" for bribery and corruption. However, it is not being liquidated by enemies of corruption, but by those who believe that the system created to fight evil has itself become part of it. This is an alarming signal for the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, whose credibility is already declining. This is stated in an article by the publication "Apostrophe", reports UNN.
How Poland is saying goodbye to its anti-corruption myth
The Polish government announced that the CBA will cease to exist on May 1, 2026. Its functions will be divided between the police, the Internal Security Agency (ABW), and the Tax Administration (KAS). A new unit, the Centralne Biuro Zwalczania Korupcji (CBZK), will be created within the police force to succeed the bureau.
Formally, it's a modernization. In fact, it's a dissolution, the publication writes. As Justice Minister Adam Bodnar explained: "The CBA has lost credibility, become politicized and ineffective." In other words, what was once supposed to expose corrupt officials itself fell into a political trap.
Indeed, in recent years, the bureau has resembled not so much a law enforcement agency as an instrument of internal political struggle. Investigations against the opposition, selective cases, "leaks" of information - all this undermined trust
It is noted that the process of liquidation of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) in Poland is unfolding gradually, with clearly defined stages. As early as December 10, 2024, the Polish government adopted the first draft law on the coordination of anti-corruption activities, which provided for the liquidation of the CBA. According to the initial version of the document, the bureau was to cease operations on July 1, 2025. However, by mid-2025, it became clear that President Andrzej Duda would not sign this bill due to legal "errors" (usterki prawne) found in it. Due to this, the adoption of the reform was postponed.
The next stage, as reported, took place on October 4, 2025, when the Polish government published an updated version of the bill. It states that the CBA in Poland will be liquidated on May 1, 2026, and some preparatory provisions will come into force as early as February next year.
The Polish state budget for 2026 provides 334.7 million zlotys for the financing of the CBA. It is noted that after the liquidation, these funds are planned to be distributed among other structures: 73% will be received by the police, 15.5% by the Internal Security Agency (ABW), and 11.5% by the Tax Administration (KAS). According to government plans, out of the CBA staff, which numbers about 1,300 officers and 200 civilian employees, 950 officers and all civilian employees will join the new structure - Centralne Biuro Zwalczania Korupcji (CBZK). The rest are planned to be transferred to the ABW and KAS.
The country's Minister of Justice, Adam Bodnar, calls the reform a "reboot," arguing that the CBA "has lost credibility, become politicized, and ineffective." On the other hand, critics point out that transferring anti-corruption functions to the police and controlled structures could create an even greater risk of these bodies being used for political control. They also say that the project has legal gaps ("usterki prawne") and that some of the changes may have been hasty.
Lessons for Ukraine: how to lose trust and what to do about it
Ukraine has its own "anti-corruption triangle" - NABU, SAP, High Anti-Corruption Court. And although these institutions were created with the support of international partners and under public control, discussions about their work in a negative light are not diminishing, the article states.
NABU has repeatedly found itself at the center of scandals - sometimes a conflict with prosecutors, sometimes leaks of cases, sometimes mutual accusations between agencies, as well as absolutely unfounded cases, as in the case of Archer. And each new conflict completely undermines trust in the body that was supposed to be a standard of virtues.
Ukrainian society is signaling that expectations of real results from the anti-corruption system are decreasing: according to a survey by the Razumkov Center from March 26, 2025, distrust of NABU, SAP, and HACC has reached approximately 62-73% for these institutions. This means that the standard of "anti-corruption symbol," which NABU is often presented as, no longer works as it used to.
The Polish experience demonstrates: when society stops believing in an "independent anti-corruption fighter," this institution becomes doomed. In Warsaw, they did not wait for the system to collapse - they decided to reboot it by force.
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The Polish authorities explain the reform by the desire to "increase efficiency and remove political influence." But experts are skeptical. After all, instead of an independent body, anti-corruption functions will now be performed by the same structures that are subordinate to the government. That is, formally, the fight against corruption will remain, but will independence remain? This is a key question that, by the way, also faces Ukraine. Because if tomorrow the anti-corruption system turns into a field of political wars, it can be "reformed" ten times - trust will not return.
Poland as a mirror for NABU
The CBA was created with the same slogans as NABU: "independence," "professionalism," "new standards." But in practice, it became a hostage to politics, suspicions, and internal conflicts. And now its liquidation is an admission of the failure of a system that could not withstand the test of power. Ukraine should take into account the experience of its Polish colleagues. Because if society sees not a fight against corruption, but a fight between anti-corruption fighters, the end of the system is only a matter of time.
As the article states, the Polish scenario is not just a story about bureaucracy. It is a warning: an anti-corruption body can lose trust not because of enemies, but because of its own secrecy and political game. NABU still has a chance not to repeat the fate of the CBA. But for this, it needs not only to investigate cases, but also to restore society's faith in justice. The Polish experience shows: even the best institutions can lose trust if they stop listening to society. For NABU, this is not just a lesson - it is a warning.