NABU searched the security director of “Naftogaz”

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) reported that it had searched the security director of “Naftogaz”. His name was not disclosed, but the position is held by Vitaliy Brovko.

The agency clarified that the investigation does not concern the activities of “Naftogaz”. No one was detained and no one was informed of the suspicion.

This morning, Economic Truth reported on the NABU searches of Brovkoʼs office. They may be related to the energy corruption case and the records that NABU published last week, as well as Brovkoʼs activities in his previous position as head of a department in the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office. Later, the “Naftogaz” press service reported that no searches were conducted at the companyʼs offices.

In his annual tax return, Brovko reported a salary of UAH 1.56 million, which he received from the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office. His wife Tetyana received UAH 8.22 million from entrepreneurship and UAH 2.46 million from the sale of cryptocurrency.

The Brovko family lives in Kyiv in a rented apartment with an area of 183.2 m2. The apartment is registered to Nina Piskunova.

The family uses three cars: a Toyota RAV4 worth UAH 2.3 million, a Lexus RX450 2020 for UAH 2.6 million, and a Ford Expedition for UAH 1.64 million. The Ford is registered to Brovko, and the other cars are registered to his wife and mother. The family keeps UAH 2.68 million, $40.52 000, and €73.75 000 in bank accounts.

Political crisis and corruption investigation in the energy sector

On November 10 and 11, NABU released four parts of the wiretap audio recordings and announced a large-scale "Midas" operation to expose corruption in the energy sector.

According to the bureau, “Energoatom” counterparties were forced to pay kickbacks in order to avoid blocking payments for services and products supplied or losing their supplier status. This practice was called "barrier".

According to NABU, members of the organization systematically received 10-15% as a bribe from “Energoatom” counterparties. Using this scheme, they legalized approximately $100 million through an office owned by the family of former MP and current senator of the Russian Federation Andriy Derkach.

Five people were detained in this case, and seven were declared suspects. Their names were later announced by the SAPO prosecutor at court hearings:

• businessman Tymur Mindich, who appeared in NABU records as "Carlson" and is considered the organizer of the scheme;
• former advisor to the Minister of Energy Ihor Myronyuk (“Rocket”);
• Executive Director for Physical Protection and Security of JSC NNEGC “Energoatom” Dmytro Basov (“Tenor”);
• four "employees" of the back office for money laundering: Oleksandr Zukerman ("Sugarman"), Ihor Fursenko ("Rioshyk"), Lesya Ustymenko and Lyudmila Zorina.

Myronyuk, Basov, Zorina, Fursenko, and Ustymenko have already been sent to custody, and sanctions have been imposed against Mindich and Zukerman. Subsequently, a total of UAH 37 million in bail was paid for Zorina and Ustymenko.

The NABU recordings also show the Minister of Energy, who at the time was Herman Halushchenko. He was searched in the case, and on November 12 he was removed from his post as Minister of Justice.

The SAPO prosecutor claimed that one of the defendants in the case interviewed Svitlana Hrynchuk, who later replaced Halushchenko as Minister of Energy.

Both ministers have resigned, and the Verkhovna Rada will consider the issue this week. In addition, Zelensky has already removed both ministers from the National Security and Defense Council.

NABU also claims that the participants in the scheme transferred money to former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, who has already been suspected of illegal enrichment and sent to custody.

President Zelensky and Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko reported an audit of the largest state-owned companies and a large-scale "reset" in energy management.

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