Kyiv court remotely ordered Timur Mindich held in custody. Investigation cites his role in energy-sector corruption. NABU calls it necessary for international wanted list placement.
On December 1, a Kyiv court held a remote hearing to decide on the preventive measure of detention for businessman Timur Mindich (“Karlson” from the NABU recordings), who is suspected of involvement in large-scale corruption schemes in the energy sector. The hearing was mostly closed to protect sensitive pre-trial investigation data.
This was reported by Suspilne, OBOZ.ua writes. According to NABU Director Semen Kryvonos, such an in absentia arrest is a necessary procedure to place Mindich on the international wanted list.
Part of the hearing was broadcast publicly. However, at 17:29, the judge announced that the further consideration would continue in a closed session to protect sensitive pre-trial investigation information.
“This (switching the hearing to a closed session) means that some of the information concerns military matters, including procurement,” commented MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak (“Holos”).
Indeed, during the hearing, a prosecutor from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) stated that the recorded circumstances confirm Mindich’s attempts to illegally influence a government official. In particular, on July 8 this year, in his apartment on Hrushevskogo Street, Mindich tried to convince Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to sign a contract for supplying low-quality body armor to the Armed Forces of Ukraine through a preferred company.
The prosecutor told the court that the investigation considers Mindich the leader of an organized group that arranged the receipt and laundering of funds from corruption schemes. According to the prosecution, the activities of this group caused significant damage to the state.
The prosecutor also noted that Mindich was checked daily for possible listening devices. It was revealed that the suspects used noise-suppressing devices during conversations with businessman Oleksandr Tsukerman, another organizer of the scheme.
The suspects also arranged to delete accounting and bookkeeping information, as well as erased data from phones and used foreign numbers in messaging apps. However, it later turned out that hiding conversations and meetings from NABU was largely unsuccessful.
The preventive measure is being decided in absentia, indicating that the suspect is hiding from justice. In accordance with the law, the state assigned him a lawyer to ensure his right to defense, but the attorney informed the court that contacting Mindich was not possible.
“Mindich Tapes”: Key Points About the High-Profile Corruption Scandal
The case traces back to large-scale NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau) searches conducted on November 4 at branches of NAEC “Energoatom” and at the residence of former Energy Minister Halushchenko. At the same time, NABU uncovered an office in central Kyiv owned by the family of former MP and current Russian senator Andriy Derkach, where a “black accounting” system was maintained and money laundering was organized.
According to NABU, Mindich appears in recordings released on November 11, together with former Energy Minister Halushchenko. Simultaneously, as part of the “Midas” operation, several other participants in the scheme were charged, including Dmytro Basov (“Tenor”), Ihor Myroniuk (“Rocket”), Liudmyla Zorina, and others. Some suspects were taken into custody with bail ranging from 12 to 126 million UAH.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has already submitted proposals to the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) regarding the application of personal sanctions against Timur Mindich and Oleksandr Tsukerman. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also imposed sanctions on these individuals.
As previously reported by OBOZ.UA, former ARMA (National Agency for the Detection, Search, and Management of Assets) head Olena Duma visited the DMC clinic, which is linked to Mindich’s back office. It is noted that this may indicate her actions were directly connected to controlling or influencing the management of state assets under arrest in favor of specific individuals.
The court is deciding in absentia on the preventive measure for Timur Mindich, who is suspected of corruption in the energy sector. Live coverage is ongoing.
Mindich’s lawyer was appointed by the state — attempts to contact the suspect were unsuccessful, reports the correspondent from Suspilne. The prosecutor stated that the investigation considers Mindich the head of a group that received and laundered money from corruption schemes in the energy sector. Certain information could compromise the secrecy of the pre-trial investigation and state security, so the court decided to move to a closed session. The live broadcast of Mindich’s preventive measure hearing was interrupted. This indicates that part of the information concerns military matters, including procurement.
Mindich was remotely ordered to be held in custody, our correspondent reports. The investigation considers Mindich the leader of a group that received and laundered money from corruption schemes in the energy sector.
Earlier, NABU Director Kryvonos explained that this is a necessary procedure to place Mindich on the international wanted list.
