Ukraine’s energy and justice ministers resigned in a major investigation into corruption in the country’s energy sector.
President Volodymy Zelensky called for Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk and Justiang Minister Mister Minister Halushenko dismissal on Wednesday.
On Monday anti-corruption bodies accused several people of orchestrating a large-scale energy capture scheme, including the National Nuclear Operator Serdecom.
Some of the perpetrators of the scandal are, or have been, close associates of Zelensky’s.
The allegation is that Justice Hemman Halushnenko and other key ministers and officials received payments from construction contractors against Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.
Among those allegedly involved are former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chanyawsov and Timur Mindich – a businessman and an owner of Zelensky’s former TV studio Kvartky95. He has since reportedly fled the country.
Haluschenko said he would defend himself against the accusations, while Grynchuk said on social media: “Within the scope of my professional activities there was no violation of the law.”
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (Sap) with 15,000 hours of Audio recordings – with 15,000 hours of Audio recordings – with 15 hours of audio recordings of four members of the Ukrainian government.
Anti-corruption bodies also said about $100m (£76m) was hit in the scheme and published photos of bags full of money. Funds were transferred outside of Ukraine, including Russia, Nabu claimed.
Prosecutors said that the methods of the procedure run by an office in Kyiv linked to the family of former Ukrainian law and current Russian Senator Andriy Derkach.
Nabu releases new snippets of the investigation and wiretaps every day and on Tuesday it promises to come.
The scandal unfolded against the backdrop of a spate of Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities, including substations that supply electricity to nuclear plants.
It also shines a light on an element of corruption in Ukraine, which continues to be endemic despite the work of Nabu and sap in the 10 years since they were created.
In July, nationwide protests broke out over changes to restrict the freedom of Nabu and SAP. Ukrainians fear that the country may lose the good status of the EU candidate country given the condition that it mounts a credible fight against corruption.
KYIV’s European partners also expressed serious alarm at the decision, with ambassadors from the G7 group of countries expressing a desire to discuss the issue with the Ukrainian leadership.
The backlash is the worst that has hit the Ukrainian government since the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2022 and was appreciated only by the decision of the anti-corruption authorities.
Yet for some the crisis calls into question Zelensky’s dedication to anti-corruption reforms. The latest scandal threatens to lead to more dire questions for the Ukrainian president.