The Nomination Committee unanimously approved the independent members of the “Energoatom” Supervisory Board. The committee includes representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers and independent observers — the European Union, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Finance Corporation, and the Business Ombudsman.
This was reported by the Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
The independent members of the supervisory board will be:
- Rumina Velshi is a Canadian and international expert in nuclear safety and regulatory oversight with over 40 years of experience in the field. She has led the Canadian Nuclear Regulator, the IAEA Safety Standards Commission, and the Association of International Nuclear Regulators;
- Laura Garbenchute-Bakiene is a Lithuanian finance, audit and risk management specialist in energy and infrastructure with over 25 years of experience. She works with audit and risk at strategic energy facilities, including the decommissioned Lithuanian Ignalina NPP.
- Patrick Fragman is a Swiss engineer and international manager in the nuclear and energy industries with over 30 years of experience. He is the former President and CEO of Westinghouse Electric Company.
- Brice Bouillon is a French lawyer specializing in energy regulation and corporate governance. He has been responsible for legal, compliance, and regulatory functions, working for the French Council of State and the Energy Regulatory Commission.
Telegram / Юлія Свириденко
The selection of three state representatives for the supervisory board is planned to be completed in the first half of January.
In parallel, the government continues to update the supervisory boards of 12 energy companies. These include “Naftogaz”, “Ukrhydroenergo”, “Ukrenergo”, GTS “Operator”, “Centrenergo”, and other companies.
The “Midas” Case
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 the 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 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 posted for Zorina and Ustymenko, and UAH 95 million for Fursenko.
The NABU recordings also show the Minister of Energy, who at the time was Herman Halushchenko. He was searched as part of the case.
The SAPO prosecutor claimed that one of the defendants in the case interviewed Svitlana Hrynchuk, who later replaced Halushchenko as Minister of Energy.
Hrynchuk and Halushchenko were dismissed from their posts as heads of the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Justice, and Zelensky 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 was suspected of illegal enrichment and sent to custody for two months. The next day, journalists from Schemes, citing sources, reported that bail was paid for him — over UAH 51.6 million.
On December 1, HACC sent Tymur Mindich into custody in absentia.
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