Ukrainian investigators accuse Zelensky ally Timur Mindich of orchestrating $100 million energy sector corruption scheme as graft scandal escalates.
KYIV: Ukrainian investigators have accused a key ally of President Volodymyr Zelensky of orchestrating a $100 million corruption scheme.
The accusations against Timur Mindich represent the latest development in a sweeping corruption scandal involving alleged embezzlement from Ukraine’s energy sector.
Mindich co-owns the media production company Kvartal 95, which was founded by Zelensky before his political career.
“Mindich exercised control over the accumulation, distribution, and legalisation of money obtained through criminal means in the energy sector of Ukraine,” a prosecutor from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office stated.
The prosecutor added that the suspect used “friendly relations with the president of Ukraine” in his criminal activities during a pre-trial hearing for another accused individual.
SAPO also accused Justice Minister German Galushchenko of receiving “personal benefits” from Mindich in exchange for control over energy sector money flows.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau revealed Monday it had uncovered a graft scheme involving $100 million of laundered funds in the energy sector.
NABU later confirmed that five people had been arrested and seven others charged in connection with the scheme.
The anti-corruption bureau conducted mass raids following a 15-month investigation into Ukraine’s energy sector.
The energy infrastructure has faced regular attacks since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
NABU investigating team head Oleksandr Abakumov told Ukrainian state television that Mindich had left the country shortly before the raids occurred.
Accusations of energy sector embezzlement during relentless attacks and widespread power shortages have sparked public anger.
Eradicating systemic corruption remains a top requirement for Ukraine’s European Union membership bid.
President Zelensky faced significant backlash from Ukrainians and Brussels this summer when he attempted to bring NABU and SAPO under government control. – AFP
