Svitlana Grinchuk has resigned as Energy Minister.
Ministers of Justice and Energy step aside after pressure from the Ukrainian president. Shaken by one of the country’s biggest corruption scandals in recent years, Zelenskyy promises to “clean up” and “restructure” Energoatom.
The Ukrainian Energy Minister, Svitlana Grinchuksubmitted his resignation on Wednesday following one at a state-owned company he supervised.
“I wrote a letter of resignation. The position was never an end in itself for me”, announced the minister on social media, according to the Ukrinform news agency, also claiming that there were no violations of the law within the scope of her professional activity.
“As for speculation regarding my personal relationships, any speculation on this topic is inappropriate. There should be a limit to everything,” he added.
“They cannot stay in their positions”
The announcement came shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had asked Prime Minister Yulia Svirydenko to fire Grinchuk and the Minister of Justice, Herman Galushchenkowho was responsible for the Energy portfolio until last July.
“The Minister of Justice and the Minister of Energy cannot remain in office,” declared Zelenskyy, in a message published on social media.
According to the Ukrainian press, Galushchenko is suspected of having been part of an alleged commission scheme at the public atomic energy company, Energoatom, when he was Minister of Energy. Galushenko had already been suspended from office by the prime minister, who announced that she had sent a motion to parliament to approve the dismissals.
Zelenskyy’s ex-partner with assets frozen
Zelensky, this Wednesday imposed sanctions on the businessman Timur Mindich, his former partner and 50% owner of the production company they both founded when the current President was an actor. The businessman was named as a suspect in leading the alleged corruption scheme.
Mindich, 46, is being accused of orchestrating what is being seen as one of the biggest corruption scandals in the country in recent years. The measures, which target the businessman as well as another Ukrainian businessman involved in the scandal, include the freezing of assetsaccording to a decree issued by the Presidency of Ukraine.
Mindich fled the country hours before NABU elements began a search operation on Monday, during which five suspects were detained, according to the Ukrainian press.
The corruption case that shook the Ukrainian Government was revealed on Monday by the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). Following the scandal, Zelenskyy promised to “clean up” and “restructure the management” of state energy company Energoatom.
