- A bribery affair in the energy sector is being investigated in Ukraine.
- Its epicenter is the company Enerhoatom, several people are accused.
- The investigation could lead to more accusations and political tension.
Additional charges may be brought as part of the investigation into the bribery scandal in the energy sector in Ukraine. The director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) Semen Kryvonos admitted this on Tuesday, Reuters reported, writes TASR. At the beginning of November, NABU and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) reported on the discovery of large-scale embezzlement at Enerhoatom, the operator of Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
The investigation concerns bribes paid during the construction of protective equipment around energy facilities in Ukraine. Such constructions they are supposed to protect Ukraine’s energy infrastructure from drone and missile attacks by the Russian military.
According to the investigators, the corrupt through the so-called back office in the center of Kyiv legalized approximately 100 million dollars. This headquarters was located in a building belonging to the family of former member of the Ukrainian parliament Andriy Derkach, who escaped to Russia and was elected a senator there. Five suspects were arrested as part of Operation Midas. Two others — former business partner of President Volodymyr Zelensky Timur Mindič and financier Olexandr Cukerman (known as Šugarmen) — are on the run.
On Tuesday, at a hearing before the parliamentary anti-corruption committee, which was broadcast online, Kryvonos said he is “deeply convinced that there will be more suspects in this case and that the case will expand.”
Kryvonos did not specify what charges might follow or when they would be filed. He said only that the investigation was continuing despite attempts to discredit NABU’s work in front of the public. He added that NABU investigators are working on more than ten cases related to the construction of the aforementioned defense fortifications. The Ukrainian public reacted to this corruption scandal with outrage, and calls for tougher action came from the opposition and members of the ruling party of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The announced new charges could further exacerbate the tension between Zelensky — whose former business partner Mindič is the main suspect in the case — and his domestic critics. All this is happening at a time when Zelenskyi is under pressure from the administration of US President Donald Trump to conclude a peace agreement with Russia. NABU informed about the start of the investigation at the beginning of November, when it also published recordings that contain a detailed description of the corrupt behavior of the suspects. The case has already cost the positions of two ministers and forced Zelensky to make changes in the management of the energy sector.
However, the president is also facing pressure to take tougher measures — for example, to dismiss the head of his office, Andriy Jermak, who is not among the suspects, but is considered a key power player in Ukraine. In recent weeks, the energy sector of Ukraine has been exposed to intensive attacks by the Russian army, which have resulted in blackouts in electricity supplies or their controlled forced shutdowns.
