Zelenskyy-Ally Timur Mindich Implicated in Major Energoatom Corruption Probe
Photo: Headquarters of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) in Kyiv. Photo by Mr.Rosewater, 4 March 2017. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Ukraine’s state nuclear power company Energoatom is at the center of what authorities call one of the country’s largest-ever corruption scandals, Orda.kz reports, citing The Kyiv Independent.
According to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), eight people have been charged with bribery, abuse of office, and illicit enrichment.
The alleged ringleader is Timur Mindich, a close associate of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and co-owner of his Kvartal 95 production company.
Mindich reportedly fled the country before charges were filed.
Others implicated include former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko (who served as energy minister earlier this year), and former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, now secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.
On November 12, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced that Herman Halushchenko has been suspended from the post of justice minister.
Recordings feature the accused using code names such as Karlsson (Mindich), Rocket (Ihor Myroniuk, a former adviser at the Energy Ministry), and Tenor (Dmytro Basov, a former Energoatom official). The tapes allegedly show them discussing kickbacks and bribes tied to Energoatom contracts worth billions of hryvnias.
Investigators say Myroniuk and Basov collected 10–15% in kickbacks from contractors to keep their supply status. The illicit proceeds were allegedly laundered through a Kyiv office run by businessman Oleksandr Tsukerman (“Sugarman”), who is also under investigation in the U.S.
Chernyshov allegedly received $1.2 million and €100,000 in bribes. Five suspects have been detained, while Mindich and Tsukerman remain at large.
Prosecutors claim Mindich controlled the laundering operation from an office on Hrushevsky Street, the same building where Zelenskyy owns property. In the tapes, he is heard coordinating payments and discussing deals with Halushchenko.
Officials named in the case have denied wrongdoing or declined to comment. Umerov said he had canceled a contract linked to Mindich due to poor-quality products.
Energoatom, which generates most of Ukraine’s electricity, reported annual revenues of around ₴200 billion ($4.7 billion).
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