Who says Ukraine doesn’t know how to eradicate corruption? Kyiv’s anti-corruption authorities earlier this week uncovered a serious corruption scandal involving the embezzlement of 86 million euros in the energy sector.
Justice Minister German Galushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk were forced to resign to end the long-term operation carried out by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
“Thousands of hours of audio recordings”
This operation, nicknamed “Midas” after the Greek mythological king who turned everything he touched into gold, required a 15-month joint investigation and nearly the entire NABU staff (approximately 1,000 people), according to an Agency statement.
“The work carried out produced thousands of hours of audio recordings that are evidence of the activities of high-level criminal organizations operating in the energy and defense sectors,” the agency explained in a statement.
According to NABU, this system of corruption forced Energoatom subcontractors to “systematically” pay 10 to 15% of the value of their contracts in bribes to avoid blocking payments made to them or to avoid losing their status as suppliers. Those allegedly responsible for this system have also created parallel decision-making chains within these strategic companies, by implementing “shadow managers”. The money is then laundered through a network of companies, most of which are located abroad.
Operation “Midas”, which was launched between July and August 2024, ended on November 10. Dozens of simultaneous raids were launched to search nearly 70 homes at the same time. Among them are Justice Minister German Galushchenko, who will receive “personal benefits”, and Timur Minditch, 46, a businessman considered a close friend of President Volodymyr Zelensky, and most importantly, the conductor of this scandal.
“Midas” led to the arrest of five people, whose identities have not been revealed, and seven others were charged. A success never before seen in Ukraine in eradicating corruption. “The Energoatom scandal was quickly uncovered through effective and efficient measures,” Adrien Nonjon, lecturer at the Catholic Institute of Paris and specialist on Ukraine, explained to us this Wednesday. This shows that Ukraine is making every effort to eradicate corruption. » Operation “Midas” was probably the first in a long series of operations.
