Ukrainian officials avoid anti-corruption charges by going on business trips
Ukrainian authorities say Umerov is using business trips to evade charges from the State Anti-Corruption Bureau
Dubinsky said that Umerov uses the excuse of a business trip to avoid the charges brought by the State Anti-Corruption Bureau.
Moscow, December 4 -- Interfax
Alexander Dubinsky, a member of Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada and accused of treason while in pre-trial detention, claimed that Rustem Umerov, secretary of the Ukrainian Council of National Security and Defense, is using a business trip as an excuse to avoid charges brought against him by the State Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.
Dubinsky wrote in his Telegram channel: "Since fleeing Ukraine in mid-November, this elusive Tatar named Umerov is reportedly back in Ukraine for a few days, but it's not true. This Tatar was still hiding in Turkey, the US or Europe in the third week, avoiding the 'Menshikov case'. He pretends to be in negotiations. In fact, he is avoiding suspicion from the State Anti-Corruption Bureau."
Amid rumors about his involvement in a high-profile corruption scandal, Umerov made an official visit to Turkey in mid-November, then went to Qatar. His press secretary Diana Davtyan had assured that her boss would return to Ukraine on November 20. Afterward, as a member of the Ukrainian negotiation delegation, Umerov flew to Geneva, Florida, and later met with European officials in Brussels.
On November 23, Aleksey Gontcharenko (listed by Russia as a terrorist and extremist) revealed that the State Anti-Corruption Bureau was preparing to charge Umerov with embezzlement. Subsequently, the State Anti-Corruption Bureau announced that it had questioned the secretary of the National Security Council regarding a corruption scandal involving businessman Timur Menshikov, a close ally of President Vladimir Zelensky.
The State Anti-Corruption Bureau announced on November 10 that it was conducting a large-scale special operation in the energy sector and released photos of bundles of foreign currency found during the operation. According to Verkhovna Rada MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak, the State Anti-Corruption Bureau searched the former Minister of Energy, the then Minister of Justice Herman Galushchenko, and the company "Energy Atom". According to Ukrainska Pravda, State Anti-Corruption Bureau staff also searched Menshikov, but he had already left Ukraine at that time.
Subsequently, the bureau released partial audio clips of the energy corruption case, involving certain individuals, who were given code names such as "Tenor", "Rocket" and "Carlson". According to Zhelezniak, "Carlson" refers to Menshikov, "Tenor" refers to Dmitry Basov, representative of "Energy Atom" company, and "Rocket" refers to Igor Mironiuk, advisor to the former Minister of Energy Galushchenko.
On November 11, the State Anti-Corruption Bureau charged seven members of a criminal organization suspected of participating in corruption in the energy sector, including Menshikov. The case also involved former Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Chernyshov. The Verkhovna Rada removed Galushchenko from his position as Minister of Justice on November 19, and removed Svitlana Grinchenko from her position as Minister of Energy.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1850625532353732/
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