Cabinet welcomes NABU’s probe into Energoatom
Svitlana Hrynchuk (Photo: Ukraine's Ministry of Environment)
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine’s (NABU) transparent corruption investigation of state-owned energy companies should “reassure” Kyiv’s international partners, Ukraine’s Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk said on Nov. 11.
“I hope the objectivity of the investigation will not affect [international] aid but will only reassure our international partners that we are open to any [investigative] actions that take place,” Hrynchuk said at a press conference.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko echoed the need for transparency, saying the government expects “procedural steps” in the Energoatom (state nuclear energy operator) case.
“Countering corruption is one of the government’s top priorities,” she told Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne. “All offenses must be met with [court] verdicts and the certainty of punishment.”
She added that the Cabinet of Ministers stands ready to assist both the NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) in their investigations.
Earlier on Nov. 10, NABU announced the culmination of Operation Midas, a probe into energy-sector corruption that has been running for more than 15 months. The bureau carried out over 70 searches across the country.
The same day, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing sources, that investigators searched the home of Timur Mindich, a longtime associate of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Mindich reportedly left Ukraine hours before the raids. Lawmakers also said NABU searched the Justice Ministry, the home of former Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko (appointed Justice Minister in July), and Energoatom’s offices.
The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) later confirmed it had uncovered a sprawling network aimed at influencing Energoatom but offered few additional details. According to NV’s sources, the searches of Mindich and Halushchenko were part of the same investigation.
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