The Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine said on Monday that it was conducting a large-scale investigation into the country’s energy sector, which revealed kickbacks involving Powerars Operator of Powerar, Energyom.
The Bureau, which operates independently of the government, said several senior figures were involved. Media in Ukrainian introduced one of them as Timur Mindicha businessman and associate of the president of Ukraine, Volangmyr Zelenskyy.
No reportedly fled the country Hours before investigators arrived at his Kyiv apartment to carry out a search. He is the co-owner of Kvartal 95, the media production company Zelenskyy founded before he became head.
The two were friends and business partners in the years before Zelenskyy went into politics. According to one source, there has been much more communication since the attack across Russia nearly four years ago.
In a statement the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) said that many people have created a criminal gang and established “a large-scale corruption scheme that can influence the strategic business of the public sector, in particular energoatom”. This forces Perdoatom’s counterparts to pay kickbacks of 10-15% to avoid paying for services or goods that are restricted, or lose their supply to the supplier, the bureau alleged.
Asked about Mindich, a senior official in Zelenskyy’s office said that the Ukrainian government supports “all activities that stamp out corruption”. They said the evidence collected by Nabu and other independent bodies should be tested in court.
The case highlights the long-term conflicts between the Presidential Administration and Ukraine’s two leading anti-corruption agencies. In July Zelenskyy approved a permanent bill that weakens the powers of Nabu and the specialized anti-corruption prosecutor’s Office.
The move sparked the first serious protests against his government. Several thousand demonstrators gathered outside the President’s office in Kyiv. They threw away banners and shouted slogans including “shame” and “vo to the law”, after the approval of the Ukrainian parliament.
Zelenskyy stepped up in the face of popular opposition and after field calls from European allies raised concerns. The new law was quickly passed to restore the powers of the agencies and appear to guarantee their independence.
Eliminating graft and restoring the rule of law are key requirements for Kyiv to join the EU, which Ukrainians see as critical to their future as continuing the war with Russia.
Ukraine’s power system was damaged by a Kremlin bombing campaign this fall, causing massive power cuts for people across the country. Russia was not hit by nuclear plants but damaged substations connected to them.
In an interview with the Guardian published on Sunday, Zelenskyy said that Vladimir Putin carried out deliberate “terrorist acts” that left them without power and water. During the conversation at the Presidential Palace in Kyiv, the lights went out twice.
Reuters contributed to this report