A day after the raids on the energy sector, anti-corruption investigators in Ukraine accused President Volodymyr Zelensky’s confidants of widespread corruption.
Timur Mindich “decided to illegally enrich himself by organizing crimes in various areas of the Ukrainian economy,” a representative of the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office (Sapo) said in court on Tuesday. The suspect used “friendly relations with the President of Ukraine” for his criminal activities.
Minditsch is one of the owners of the production company Kwartal 95. The company was founded by Zelensky, who previously performed as a comedian and actor before running for president. According to prosecutors, Minditsch “exercised control over the accumulation, distribution and legalization of funds obtained through criminal actions in the Ukrainian energy sector.”
According to Sapo, Ukrainian Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko, who previously served as Energy Minister, was also involved in the scandal. Authorities accused him of receiving “personal benefits” from Minditsch – in exchange for control over money flows in the energy sector.
“Large scale corruption system”
On Monday, the National Anti-Corruption Office (NABU) carried out raids in the energy sector and said it uncovered a “system of large-scale corruption”. This was preceded by a 15-month investigation. Based on this, “around 100 million dollars” (86 million euros) flowed into money laundering transactions.
Ukrainian media reported on Monday that Nabu had searched the homes of Halushchenko and Minditsch, among others, as part of the raids. Authorities spoke of a “high-level criminal organization.” This has “created a system of large-scale corruption” “to influence strategic companies in the state sector” – including Ukraine’s energy supplier Energoatom.
The head of the Nabu investigative team, Oleksander Abakumov, said on state television on Tuesday that Minditsch had recently left the country.
Corruption and misappropriation of funds are widespread problems in Ukraine. Zelenskyj took office with the aim of ending widespread corruption and misappropriation of funds in Ukraine – also with the aim of joining the European Union.
