Copyright Star Tribune
KYIV - Investigators from Ukraine’s two independent anti-graft bodies have searched the home of the country’s justice minister as part of a sprawling corruption investigation into an alleged scheme involving millions of dollars in the country’s energy sector. The investigation could possibly extend into the highest reaches of the Ukrainian government and comes just months after President Volodymyr Zelensky attempted to curb the independence of the two anti-corruption bodies, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office - or NABU and SAPO. On Monday, NABU and SAPO said they had uncovered a kickback scheme that netted about $100 million from contracts signed with Ukraine’s state nuclear energy company, Energoatom. The kickback scandal has erupted at a highly sensitive and critical moment for Ukraine’s energy sector. Ukraine’s electrical supply has been greatly depleted as Russian missiles and drones have targeted the country’s energy plants and grid, resulting in extensive power outages throughout the country. Corruption has also been a perennial issue for Ukraine, and combating it has been a long-standing demand of the country’s foreign supporters. Zelensky’s move to curtail the independence of the anti-corruption agencies over the summer sparked massive protests and outcry from the European Union. The announcement of the scheme sent shock waves through Ukraine’s political establishment. Among those named as suspects was Zelensky’s confidant and onetime business partner Tymur Mindich. A Ukrainian law enforcement official confirmed that NABU and SAPO agents searched the home of Justice Minister German Galushchenko on Monday but said that he had not been indicted. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. On Tuesday, NABU said in a statement that it had “detained five individuals and notified seven members of the organization of their status as suspects.” These included “a businessman who is the head of the criminal organization” and “a former adviser to the Minister of Energy.” NABU did not initially identify the individuals. But on Tuesday, SAPO prosecutors gave the names of seven people, including Mindich, at an arraignment hearing for one of the suspects, Ihor Myronyuk, a former adviser to Galushchenko. Myronyuk denied the charges. “Throughout 2025, Mindich’s criminal activities in the energy sector were established through his influence on Energy Minister Galushchenko and in the defense sector through his influence on Defense Minister [Rustem] Umerov,” the prosecutor said. Umerov was defense minister before assuming his current post as head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council. Galushchenko was energy minister until July, when he was appointed justice minister. NABU detectives searched Mindich’s home on Monday, but he had fled the country, the head of NABU’s department of detectives, Oleksandr Abakumov, said on a broadcast of the Ukrainian Truth news website on Tuesday. On Tuesday, NABU and SAPO also said that they had opened a criminal case against “a former deputy prime minister” on “suspicion of illegal enrichment.” The suspect received “the transfer of over $1.2 million and almost €100,000 in cash” in laundered funds as part of the kickback scheme, NABU said in a statement on its website. NABU did not name the former minister but said that he was “already suspected by NABU and SAPO” of abusing his official position “and obtaining illegal benefits in a particularly large amount.” The investigation, given the code name “Midas,” was the result of “15 months of work and 1,000 hours of audio recordings,” NABU said in statements. The probe involved a “high level criminal organization” that systematically received “illicit benefits from Energoatom’s contractors in the amount of 10% to 15% of the contract value.” The contractors were forced to pay the kickbacks “to avoid blocking payments for services rendered … or to avoid losing their status as suppliers,” NABU said. On Tuesday, the Justice Ministry said in a tersely worded statement that “investigative actions” had taken place as part of “criminal proceedings” that involved Galushchenko. On Monday, NABU and SAPO representatives carried out “investigative actions” at Energoatom’s offices, the company said in a statement on its website. Later, the company’s supervisory board said that it took “the recent allegations of corruption involving Energoatom employees with the utmost seriousness” and would commission “an independent review of relevant transactions.” As the investigation unfolded, Ukrainians were struggling with the aftermath of a massive barrage of Russian missiles targeting power plants across the country that forced electricity rationing that continued Tuesday. “These were not random but well-planned strikes. Russia is deliberately jeopardizing Europe’s nuclear safety,” Sybiha said, calling for an “urgent meeting” of the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The kickback investigation also indicates that NABU and SAPO are continuing to pursue their anti-graft remit, despite the aborted move against the two organizations by the president over the summer. However, it remains to be seen whether those whom NABU and SAPO are investigating will be charged, and whether those who have been charged will be tried and convicted. “Everyone who has built corrupt schemes must face a clear procedural response,” he said. “There must be convictions. And government officials must work together with NABU and law enforcement bodies - and do it in a way that delivers real results.” Sergey Bobok/AFP/Getty Images/Tribune News Service The Justice Ministry also announced that its head — who formerly ran the Energy Ministry — was included in an investigation by the anti-corruption bodies. Dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked a pair of Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, setting fire to vehicles and other property before clashing with Israeli soldiers sent to halt the rampage, Israeli and Palestinian officials said.
