The Ukrainian government moved against corruption in Energoatom: Mindich and associates face sanctions, Basov jailed, Halushchenko suspended, and supervisory board members resigned or were dismissed.
On November 12, the Cabinet of Ministers under Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko decided to submit a proposal to the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) regarding the imposition of sanctions against Timur Mindich and Oleksandr Tsukerman.
This was reported to EP by two independent government sources.
According to Article 5 of the Law “On Sanctions,” the Cabinet of Ministers has the authority to make such a proposal, and if it is approved by the National Security and Defense Council, the decision to impose sanctions is enacted by the President of Ukraine.
Later, Svyrydenko confirmed the adoption of the respective decision. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already stated that he will sign a decree to impose sanctions after the corresponding decision is made by the NSDC.
“I believe that the Minister of Justice (Herman Halushchenko) and the Minister of Energy (Svitlana Hrynchuk) cannot remain in their positions. This is also a matter of trust. If there are accusations, they must be held accountable. The decision to suspend them from office is an operational, quickest measure. I have asked the Prime Minister to request resignation statements from these ministers,” Zelenskyy said.
It should be noted that both Halushchenko and Hrynchuk are members of the NSDC. There are currently no decisions to remove them from this body.
Reminder:
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) released the third part of its investigation into a major corruption scheme at the State Nuclear Energy Company “Energoatom,” titled “Midas.”
Prosecutors from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) stated that the organizer of the money-laundering scheme around Energoatom and a close friend of President Zelenskyy, Timur Mindich, built influence over former Energy Minister and Justice Minister Halushchenko through his connections with Zelensky.
Prosecutors also noted that Mindich exerted influence over former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
A few hours before NABU’s searches, Mindich managed to leave the country.
In one episode of the “Mindich tapes,” President Zelenskyy called Halushchenko after being informed by Mindich.
The High Anti-Corruption Court has placed Energoatom’s Executive Director for Security, Dmytro Basov, in custody. He is suspected of being involved in large-scale corruption in the energy sector.
On November 11, the government terminated the powers of Energoatom’s supervisory board. A few hours before this, Tymofiy Mylovanov, president of the Kyiv School of Economics, former non-staff advisor to the head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak (from November 22, 2020, to September 2021), and a member of the supervisory board of Ukroboronprom, submitted a resignation letter as a member of Energoatom’s supervisory board.
At the morning government session on November 12, a decision was made to suspend Halushchenko from his position as Minister of Justice.
