Artem Sytnyk, director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), the country's newly-created anti-graft body, has visited the president’s private home for a late night meeting, which "creates enormous suspicions and casts doubts on Sytnyk’s integrity", according to Kyiv-based brokerage Concorde Capital.

The NABU chief was video-recorded by RFE/RL reporters on April 26. The journalists confirmed Sytnyk’s presence by identifying his car, and also confirmed the presence of cars used by lawmaker Oleksandr Hranovskiy, who is known as the president’s 'curator' in the nation’s prosecutor’s offices and courts. Sytnyk confirmed he was at the president’s house that night, but said it was merely to discuss the details of the independent anti-corruption court that was requested by Western donors and backers.

"If President [Petro] Poroshenko wanted to gain Sytnyk’s opinions on the anti-corruption court, he could have easily invited him to his office of Bankova Street during normal business hours," Concorde's Zenon Zawada wrote in a note on July 13. "Though Poroshenko is known to prefer late-night meetings, hosting the head of what’s supposed to be an independent anti-corruption body at your home creates enormous suspicions and casts doubts on Sytnyk’s integrity."

According to the expert, Sytnyk's conduct "undermines the goal of Western institutions in creating an independent anti-corruption bureau (in exchange for loans)."

The cars associated with Hranovskiy left the residence at the same time that Sytnyk left, the video-report showed. Hranovskiy declined to answer questions about the meeting. The reporters submitted questions to the presidential administration and are waiting for a response.

Meanwhile, in an interview with online outlet Ukrainska Pravda published on July 13, Sytnyk said NABU's activities have been "almost stalled" over the past weeks due to a bitter conflict with head of another Ukrainian anti-corruption body, the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), Nazar Kholodnytsky.

NABU accused Kholodnytsky of alleged law violations during criminal investigations, however, he denies any wrongdoing. The SAPO was created with the support of the nation's western backers, specifically, the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In March, the Ukrainian office of Transparency International urged law enforcement agencies to refrain from politicising the conflict between NABU and SAPO.

"The conflict between Sytnyk and Kholodnytskiy, which we believe was encouraged by the Poroshenko administration, has undermined Ukraine’s anti-corruption efforts and will hurt the functioning of the independent court that is to be created," Zawada added in the note.

According to the expert, their personal conflict — and their suspicious and even criminal conduct — will continue to harm the functioning of the independent anti-corruption bodies and taint their credibility, especially once the court is created. "However, it seems convenient for the Poroshenko administration to have two anti-corruption leaders battling against each other," Zawada underlined.