These revelations have caused a real political earthquake: the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has brought serious charges against a number of high-ranking officials, including a close confidant of President Volodymyr Zelensky. Yesterday, NABU announced that it had uncovered a major corruption scheme in the energy sector, through which nearly $100 million was laundered. This morning, Justice Minister German Galushchenko was removed from office. He is suspected of illegally enriching himself in his previous position as Minister of Energy.
Opposition MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak believes that what is known so far is only a small part of the scandal. “I am convinced that this is the biggest corruption scandal in the country's history. "Energy system protection equipment was stolen, including during power outages," he told Ukrainska Pravda.
"New oligarch" as a central figure?
Investigative authorities are talking about a criminal organization. At the center of the accusations is entrepreneur Timur Mindych - a former business partner of the Ukrainian president. Mindych is considered a friend of Zelensky, and his name has been mentioned in the past in the context of possible accusations of bribery and corruption.
Investigative journalist Mikhail Tkach calls Mindych "the new oligarch" of Ukraine in an article. According to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, he exerted illegal influence over the now-ousted Minister Galushchenko: “Mindic used the fact that the country was at war, his friendly relations with the current president, and his connections with current and former high-ranking state officials to enrich himself illegally."
A former defense minister is also under suspicion
Specifically, it concerns the construction of protective facilities for the energy infrastructure, which Russia continues to attack with drones and missiles. According to the investigation, which took more than 15 months and included more than 70 searches across the country, the scheme involved exerting influence over the now-ousted Energy Minister Galushchenko and the then Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
It is no surprise to many observers that Galushchenko is involved in the case. In an interview with ARD in early October, nuclear energy expert Olga Kosharna said: “I know nine energy ministers, but none like Galushchenko. The lack of competence and the scale of corruption are enormous. We are talking about a lot of money - about four billion euros a year for purchases.“
Representatives of supplier companies have revealed to the expert that while previously the bribe amounted to 10% of the order amount, it now accounts for half of the contract. “This applies to the purchase of cables, sensors, pipes - just about everything”, Kosharna added.
In the summer, thousands of Ukrainians protested for days against the government's attempt to take away the independence of investigative bodies. Observers and activists suspect that there is a connection between the actions against the authorities at the time and the investigations against Zelensky's confidants and high-ranking government officials that are becoming known now, ARD also writes.
Berlin trusts the government in Kiev
The German government continues to trust Kiev amid the scandal surrounding alleged corruption in the Ukrainian government. This was stated by government spokesman Stefan Cornelius to DW in response to the question of whether the scandal would lead to increased German control over the way Ukraine uses the aid it receives.
Author: Rebecca Barth (ARD)