The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) announced that it had uncovered a major corruption scheme in the energy sector, through which nearly $100 million was laundered, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
The revelations about the criminal scheme caused public discontent and drew attention to the fight that Kiev is waging against corruption.
Ukraine, which is striving for EU membership, is under pressure to take decisive action against corruption. Kiev is also seeking financial support from its Western partners as it battles a wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
Corruption in the energy sector is a particularly sensitive issue for Ukrainians, who are routinely subjected to long power outages even before the cold winter months set in.
NABU said it had detained five suspects and identified two more in connection with a conspiracy to control public procurement at state-owned enterprises, particularly the nuclear agency Energoatom. The anti-corruption agency's statement did not name any of the accused participants in the scheme.
A person familiar with the matter told Reuters that the suspect named by NABU as the main organizer was Timur Mindych, a former business partner of President Volodymyr Zelensky. Reuters notes that Mindych has not yet responded to its request for comment sent to the production company "Studio Kvartal 95". Mindych is a co-owner of "Studio Kvartal 95", where Zelensky built his career as a comedian before winning the 2019 presidential election.
The other people under investigation are a former adviser to the energy minister, the head of the security department of "Energoatom" and four "administrative" employees. NABU later indicated that one of the suspects is a former deputy prime minister.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Justice announced today that the head of the department, German Galushchenko, who previously held the post of energy minister, was the subject of an investigation. The statement did not make it clear whether this was the NABU investigation. An audio recording released by NABU shows Galushchenko speaking to some of the suspects in the case, a person familiar with the investigation told Reuters.
Galushchenko did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the British news agency.
The independent law enforcement agency NABU announced on Wednesday the investigation, which has taken more than 15 months and involved more than 70 searches across the country.