Nov. 12 (UPI) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked for and received the resignation of two top ministers Wednesday for an alleged corruption scheme the government is investigating.
Minister of Justice Herman Halushchenko and Minister of Energy Svitlana Hryshchuk have resigned after a corruption probe, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced.
Zelensky called for the resignation of the ministers earlier Wednesday.
“The decision to remove them from office is an operational one, the quickest possible. I have asked the prime minister of Ukraine to request these ministers’ resignations,” he said.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau was investigating Halushchenko as part of a large-scale corruption case into state nuclear power company Energoatom.
An anti-corruption prosecutor alleged at a hearing Wednesday that Hryshchuk spent three nights in Halushchenko’s apartment in July and August. She has said she has done nothing wrong.
The case allegedly involves Timur Mindich, a former business partner of Zelensky. Mindich has not been officially charged.
“Right now, things are extremely difficult for everyone in Ukraine — enduring power outages, Russian strikes, and losses,” Zelensky said. “It is absolutely unacceptable that, on top of this, there are still some [corruption] schemes in the energy sector.”
The Cabinet of Ministers appointed Lyudmila Suhak as acting justice minister, Svyrydenko said on Telegram. Suhak is the deputy justice minister for European integration.
Halushchenko said on Facebook on Wednesday that he agreed with the suspension during the investigation.
“I am not clinging to the position of minister and will not cling to it. I believe that suspension during the investigation is a civilized and proper course of action. I will defend myself in the legal domain and prove my position.”
Halushchenko has served as Ukraine’s energy minister since 2021 and was appointed justice minister in July.
Ukraine’s anti-corruption bureau charged eight people on Tuesday with bribery, abuse of office and illicit enrichment. There were also tapes released that had the group using code names and discussing alleged kickbacks and bribes, Euro News reported.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau said the organizer of the alleged scheme is Mindich. He co-owns Kvartal 95, a production company founded by and once part-owned by Zelensky.
