Ukraine’s government suspended Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko on Wednesday amid an investigation into $100 million (about 86 million euros) in corruption in the country’s energy sector. “This morning we held an extraordinary cabinet meeting. We made a decision to suspend Herman Halushchenko from the position of Minister of Justice,” Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko wrote on the US-based X social network.
Sviridenko added that the Deputy Minister of Justice for European Integration, Lyudmila Sugak, was assigned the position of Minister of Justice
Commenting on the decision, Halushchenko, who served as energy minister before assuming his current post in July, agreed with the decision, saying he would defend himself legally and prove his case.
“It is necessary to make a political decision, and only then deal with all the details. I do not hold the position of minister and will not hold it. I believe that the suspension (of my duties) during the investigation is a civilized and correct scenario,” he wrote on Facebook.
Ukraine on Monday launched a “large-scale operation” in the energy sector to uncover corruption involving what the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) described as a “high-level criminal organization” seeking to influence strategic state-owned enterprises, particularly national nuclear supplier Energoatom.
NABU said that their investigation involved 15 months of work and 1,000 hours of audio recordings, and that members of the “criminal organization” allegedly sought illegal benefits in the amount of ten to 15 percent of the value of the government contract.
The agency said Tuesday that its detectives have detained five people and sent suspicious messages to seven individuals as the investigation, which revealed that $100 million passed through the scheme, continues.
The Department of Justice has confirmed that Halushchenko is the subject of an investigation and will provide full assistance to law enforcement agencies in ensuring a comprehensive, objective and impartial investigation.
“The Ministry of Justice consistently adheres to the principle of zero tolerance towards corruption. If found guilty, individuals must be held accountable in accordance with the procedure established by the court,” it said.
The investigation comes just four months after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky restored the independence of the country’s two main anti-corruption agencies.
Zelenski signed legal measures that placed NABU and the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Fight against Corruption (SAPO) under the supervision of the chief prosecutor. However, he reversed the measures after large protests, including those in Kiev.
Cracking down on corruption is key if Ukraine is to speed up its bid to join the 27-member European Union, which formally opened accession talks with Kiev on June 25, 2024. Critics say Kiev has long suffered from widespread corruption, and the ongoing war with Russia is said to have overshadowed efforts to root out corruption.
(TYPE/Source: AA/Photo: Illustration/ Ukrinform)
