Yermak’s lawyer says talks with fortune-teller were personal
Andriy Yermak (Photo: Serhii Okunev / NV)
Igor Fomin, the lawyer representing former presidential
office head Andriy Yermak in court, said that Yermak did speak with an astrologer
but the conversations were personal and took place after he left government
service.
Fomin confirmed to LIGA.net on May 15 that the astrologer’s contact in Yermak’s phone was saved as “Veronika feng shui office” and claimed that the recorded calls and messages occurred after Yermak’s resignation in November 2025.
“These are all records from after he resigned. What was he consulting about? If someone had read them, they’d see how they were talking. These are personal matters. Everyone has that,” Fomin said.
At the May 12 court hearing, Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) prosecutor Valentina Hrebenyuk said Yermak was likely involved in the appointment of several senior officials and discussed those appointments with a contact saved in his phone as "Veronika feng shui office." Among the appointments allegedly discussed was the selection of Iryna Venediktova as prosecutor general in March 2020.
RFE/RL reporters identified the alleged adviser as 51-year-old Kyiv resident Veronika Anikievych, who describes herself as an "astrology consultant."
Yermak is currently in pre-trial detention after the
National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) charged him with money
laundering on May 11.
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