Ukraine’s justice and energy ministers have submitted their resignations amid a wide-reaching corruption probe, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said, shortly after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for their dismissals.
Svyrydenko said in a post on social media on Wednesday that Justice Minister German Galushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk had “submitted their resignations in accordance with the law”.
The announcement comes as anticorruption authorities said this week that they had detained five people and identified two others still at large, suspected of involvement in an alleged plot to control procurement at nuclear agency Energoatom and other state enterprises.
Ukraine had earlier suspended Galushchenko, who has been accused of profiting from the scheme that laundered money from Energoatom.
He served as energy minister for four years before taking over the justice ministry in July, and was replaced by Hrynchuk.
In a video address on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said corruption in the energy sector – already weakened by regular Russian air strikes on the country’s infrastructure – was “absolutely unacceptable”.
“I believe that the minister of justice and the minister of energy cannot remain in office. This is, among other things, a matter of trust,” the Ukrainian president said.
$100m scheme
According to Ukraine’s Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), the alleged $100m scheme was orchestrated by businessman Timur Mindich, a close ally of Zelenskyy.
SAPO’s investigators say Galushchenko helped Mindich manage illicit financial flows in the energy sector, while contractors working with Energoatom were forced to pay bribes of 10 to 15 percent to avoid losing contracts or facing payment delays.
Galushchenko has not been identified as one of the seven suspects announced this week, but a former adviser of his has been.
Both Galushchenko and Hrynchuk, who has not been mentioned as having profited from the scheme, have denied any wrongdoing.
In a statement on his earlier suspension, Galushchenko said he had spoken with the prime minister and agreed that the move was appropriate while he defends his case.
“A political decision must be made, and only then can all the details be sorted out,” Galushchenko said. “I believe that suspension for the duration of the investigation is a civilised and correct scenario. I will defend myself in court and prove my position.”
Accusations of kickbacks in the energy sector are particularly sensitive in Ukraine, much of which is facing lengthy daily blackouts as it fends off massive Russian attacks on its infrastructure.
The scandal also highlights a potential challenge to Ukraine’s European Union membership bid, for which eradicating corruption remains a key condition.
Addressing the country on Monday, Zelenskyy urged full cooperation with the anticorruption inquiry and said anyone implicated should be held to account.
Zelenskyy’s comments come just months after he was forced to reverse plans to curb the independence of the country’s key anticorruption watchdogs – SAPO and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine – following widespread protests.
