Ukraine prosecutes former Zelensky's chief of staff for suspected corruption

BarcelonaUkraine's anti-corruption authorities have informed Andriy Yermak, Volodymyr Zelensky's former chief of staff, that he is being investigated as a suspect in connection with a corruption scandal that has affected several government members and people close to the president. Yermak, who was Zelensky's right-hand man, resigned last November after the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) searched his office. These two agencies reported on Monday evening via Telegram that they have uncovered a group of individuals involved in a case related to "a luxury real estate project near Kyiv" valued at 460 million hryvnias (about 8.9 million euros). "One of the participants, the former chief of staff to the President of Ukraine, has been notified of the suspicion," they stated.

The two agencies referred to an investigation that the authorities have dubbed Operation Midas: Destiny. The case is part of a broader investigation into high-level corruption, known as the Midas case, which was uncovered last November when a former business partner of Zelensky was accused of running a bribery scheme through which about 100 million dollars were allegedly diverted from the state nuclear energy agency. This businessman, Timur Mindich – a former partner of the president and owner of 50% of the television production company he had before entering politics – allegedly used his influence over the then Minister of Energy and other government figures to profit by forcing payments of commissions in exchange for access to contracts with Energoatom, one of the main state companies.

At the time the scandal became public, the portal Kyiv Independent stated that one of the luxury houses near the capital financed through Energoatom's corruption scheme was intended for Yermak, according to a police source who spoke to the newspaper. Yermak's lawyer, however, has stressed that "there is no basis to press any criminal charges against him" and has attributed it to "public pressure," as reported by the newspaper Ukrainska Pravda.Yermak was considered the most powerful person in Ukraine behind Zelensky, with influence over the Parliament, the cabinet, and the main state institutions. He was the president's most trusted man and participated in high-level diplomatic meetings.

The fact that he is being prosecuted in the most important scandal linked to figures close to Zelensky shows how corruption is a problem in the country, but also that efforts are being made in the fight against corruption, as demanded by the European Union to advance in the process of entry into the community club.