Ukrainian Justice Minister dismissed over corruption scandal implicates Zelensky
He has been linked to a network that obtained commissions from contracts awarded by the atomic energy company.
BarcelonaThe Ukrainian government suspended Justice Minister and former Energy Minister Hermann Galushenko from his duties in an emergency session early Wednesday morning due to his alleged involvement in a kickback scheme at the state-owned atomic energy company. Parliament initiated the dismissal process on Monday. According to an investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), Galushenko, while serving as Energy Minister, allegedly participated in a network that obtained at least $100 million from the state-owned atomic energy company, Energoatom, by awarding contracts to private companies. Deputy Minister Lyudmila Suguak will assume Galushenko's responsibilities. Galushenko served as Energy Minister until last July. According to a prosecutor from the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, the alleged ringleader, businessman Timur Minditsk—a former business partner of President Volodymyr Zelensky and owner of 50% of the television production company he owned before entering politics—exerted direct influence over Galushenko and the then-minister who headed Ukraine's negotiating team in recent talks with Russia.
According to the newspaper Kyiv Independent, This is one of the biggest political scandals Ukraine has ever seen. A total of eight people have been charged with bribery, abuse of power, and illicit enrichment. The anti-corruption agency released recordings on Tuesday in which the group, using code names and encrypted language, discussed alleged kickbacks and irregular payments. According to the NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau), Minditx was the main organizer. Among the other defendants is Ihor Mironiuk, a former advisor to the Minister of Energy and former deputy director of the State Property Fund. Mironiuk had also been an assistant to Andriy Derkatx, a former Ukrainian deputy accused of high treason who currently serves as a senator in Russia. Dmytro Bassov, a former prosecutor and former head of the physical security department at Energoatom, has also been charged. The recordings reveal that the participants in the scheme allegedly delivered $1.2 million and €100,000 to Chernychev, the former deputy prime minister, who was dismissed last June for bribery and abuse of power. Of the eight defendants, Minditx and Tsukerman reportedly fled the country, while five were arrested, although it is unknown whether Chernychev was also apprehended. According to the anti-corruption agency, the defendants collected commissions of between 10% and 15% from Energoatom contractors in exchange for maintaining their contracts with the state-owned company and not blocking their services or products. Energoatom, which has annual revenues of approximately 200 billion hryvnias (about $4.7 billion), is one of the country's largest state-owned and strategic enterprises. The investigation revealed that the defendants exploited a government regulation that prohibits contractors from pursuing legal action against certain strategic companies, such as Energoatom, while martial law is in effect. This allowed them to pressure and threaten companies to obtain bribes.
According to NABU, commissions from Energoatom were laundered through an office in downtown Kyiv owned by relatives of former pro-Russian deputy Andriy Derkatkx, who fled Ukrainian justice. They allegedly laundered approximately $100 million.
Once a politician for Zelensky
The Energoatom scandal comes at a particularly delicate time for Volodymyr Zelensky, who is trying to maintain the confidence of the population and Western allies in the face of the Russian offensive. which now threatens the strategic city of PokrovskThe Ukrainian army depends on military support from Europe and the US. questioned by Donald Trump's visionThe fact that the alleged mastermind of the scheme, Timur Minditx, is a former business partner of the president and one of the most influential figures in his inner circle has fueled the perception that corruption, an endemic problem in the country, remains deeply entrenched even at the highest levels of government. Zelensky had already taken decisive steps against corruption, such as in the scandal over inflated prices for food purchases for soldiers.
Although there is no evidence directly linking Zelensky to the corrupt scheme, the case raises uncomfortable questions, and the president will have to demonstrate his continued commitment to fighting corruption, which has been a central theme of his presidency. However, the case also demonstrates that anti-corruption mechanisms are effective even at the highest levels, a testament to institutional maturity.
