“Today, as he was crossing the border, NABU investigators arrested the former energy minister in connection with the Midas case,” the agency said in a statement, referring to the corruption scandal that rocked Ukraine’s energy sector last year. Halushenko was not named in the announcement, but he served as energy minister until 2025 and resigned in November of that year.
“Initial investigations are ongoing, which are being conducted in accordance with the law and the prescribed judicial sanctions. More details will follow,” NABU added. Halushenko was among the ministers who resigned in 2025 after the National Anti-Corruption Agency (NABU) uncovered a massive money-laundering network in Ukraine’s energy sector, which investigators suspect was orchestrated by an ally of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
He took the money and ran
According to the agency, members of that network set up an estimated $100 million bribery scheme to embezzle funds, sparking public outrage at a time when the country was experiencing widespread power outages caused by Russian attacks.
Investigators estimate that Halushenko obtained “personal benefits” from the case. Ukraine has long been plagued by corruption, and combating this phenomenon is considered a condition for its entry into the European Union.
