Former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov was sent to custody for two months in a case of possible corruption in the energy sector.
The meeting was broadcast by Suspilne.
As an alternative, the court set bail for Chernyshov in the amount of 51 million 600 thousand hryvnias.
According to the investigation, the former employee was among the people who visited the so-called laundry, a place where illegally obtained money was "laundered".
At the trial, the SAPO prosecutor said that the meetings of Tymur Mindichʼs back office employees with Chernyshov were called the "Intellectual Club" for the purpose of conspiracy.
According to the investigation, Chernyshov or his proxy received money from another person involved in the case, Oleksandr Zukerman, at least three times this year:
- February 11 — $227 000 and €96 000;
- March 4 — $500 000;
- On May 9, another $500 000 was transferred. The money was allegedly transferred through Chernyshovʼs wife Svitlana, who was called "Professor". According to the SAPO prosecutor, the funds were transferred to a medical beauty center in downtown Kyiv, which belongs to the Zukerman family.
Operation “Midas” — investigation into corruption in the energy sector
On November 10 and 11, NABU released four parts of the wiretap audio recordings and reported 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 recordings 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 Tsukerman ("Zukerman"), 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 37 million hryvnias in bail was posted 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.
And 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 charged with illegal enrichment.
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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