Ukrainska Pravda said it learned several months ago from “influential figures in the U.S. establishment” that Mindich could be formally targeted by the FBI in a money laundering case.
The probe, according to sources, is focusing on an offshore company registered in the British Virgin Islands, a separate company registered in the UK, and a man known by the nickname “Sugarman.” Sources believe the nickname refers to Ukrainian businessman Mykhailo Tsukerman.
Ukrainian opposition MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak previously said Tsukerman and companies linked to him were involved with the Odesa Port Plant before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In July, Ukrainska Pravda, citing a source within Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies, reported that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) were preparing to file charges against Mindich. This apparently spurred Zelenskyy to launch his short-lived attempt to curb NABU’s and SAPO’s independence.
Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, chairman of Ukraine’s parliamentary Freedom of Speech Committee, told NV that the impending charges against Mindich—proved to be “the last straw” for Zelenskyy’s administration.
Ukrainska Pravda also reported that NABU and SAPO wiretapped Mindich at a Kyiv address where Zelenskyy celebrated his birthday five years ago. Sources said the recordings might include conversations with the president, but no official confirmation has been released. It remains unclear whether the intercepted calls referred to corrupt activities.