At the center of a new corruption scandal in Ukraine is a close associate of President Zelenskyy. Government officials are also under pressure. Critics suspect further involvement.
These are investigations that are shaking Ukraine. The country's independent anti-corruption authorities are leveling serious accusations against a number of high-ranking officials, including a close associate of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This morning, Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko was suspended. He is alleged to have been involved in illegal enrichment in his previous role as Energy Minister.
Opposition MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak told the news portal Ukrainska Pravda that only a fraction of the scandal has been revealed so far."I am convinced that this is the biggest corruption scandal in the country's history. Funds intended for protecting the energy supply were stolen, even during blackouts," Zheleznyak said.
A"new oligarch" as the central mastermind?
Investigators are speaking of the formation of a criminal organization. At the center of the allegations is businessman Tymur Mindich – a former business partner of the Ukrainian president. Mindich is considered a friend of Zelenskyy, and his name has surfaced in the past in connection with possible bribery and enrichment allegations. Investigative journalist Mykhailo Tkach refers to Mindich in an article as Ukraine's"new oligarch."
He allegedly exerted illegal influence on the now-suspended Minister Halushchenko, according to Serhiy Sawitsky of the Prosecutor's Office for Combating Corruption:"Mindich exploited the situation under martial law, his friendly relations with the current President and his connections to current and former high-ranking government officials to enrich himself illegally."
Former defense minister also under suspicion
Sawitsky stated that criminal activities had been detected in the energy sector, through influencing the then Energy Minister Halushchenko, and in the defense sector, through influencing the then Defense Minister Rustem Umyerov.
Specifically, the project will focus on, among other things, the construction of protective structures for the energy infrastructure, which is repeatedly attacked by Russia with drones and missiles.
Energy expert raises serious allegations
That Halushchenko is allegedly involved in the case comes as no surprise to many observers. In an interview with the ARD Kyiv studio in early October, nuclear energy expert Olga Kosharna made her position clear:"I've seen nine energy ministers, but none like Halushchenko. The lack of competence and the extent of the corruption are enormous. We're talking about a lot of money here, roughly four billion euros annually in procurement."
Representatives of suppliers told Koscharna: "If previously you had to pay back ten percent of the order amount as a bribe, now it's 50 percent. This applies to the purchase of cables, sensors, tubes, simply everything."
The government wanted to restrict authorities.
President Zelenskyy stated that effective measures against corruption are urgently needed. He emphasized that government officials must cooperate with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and law enforcement agencies.
Last summer, thousands of Ukrainians protested for days against the government's attempt to strip investigative authorities of their independence. Observers and activists suspect a connection between the actions taken against the authorities at that time and the investigations now revealed against Zelenskyy's confidants and high-ranking government officials.
