Ukraine’s justice minister, Herman Halushchenko, has been suspended amid a wide-ranging corruption investigation in the energy sector, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Wednesday. “An extraordinary cabinet meeting was held this morning. A decision was made to suspend Herman Halushchenko from performing the duties of justice minister,” she said.
The move comes as anti-corruption bodies intensify a probe into an alleged kickback and money-laundering scheme worth about $100 million that, they say, involved senior officials in the energy sector.
Ukrainian investigators have charged seven suspects in the case, which has stirred public anger and again raised questions about the effectiveness of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s anti-corruption agenda. Media reports say detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) searched Halushchenko’s premises on Monday; he previously served as energy minister.
Many in Ukraine are skeptical of the notion that Zelensky’s close associate Tymur Mindich could have carried out large-scale corruption schemes without the president’s knowledge.
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Halushchenko said he discussed the decision with the prime minister and fully agrees with it. “I believe that suspension for the duration of the investigation is a civilized and proper step. I intend to defend myself through legal means and prove my case,” he said. Deputy Minister for European Integration Lyudmyla Suhak will serve as acting minister.
On Tuesday, November 11, NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office said that a former deputy prime minister, known by the nickname “Che Guevara,” is also implicated in the case. Investigators claim to have evidence of illegal money transfers totaling more than $1.2 million.
The searches took place two days after Russia carried out its largest attack on Ukraine’s energy system since the start of the war, striking nuclear power plants, substations, and facilities belonging to the state company Centrenergo. Prolonged power outages continue across the country as authorities work to restore electricity, facing questions over whether energy infrastructure had been adequately protected from Russian strikes.