Ukraine Corruption Scandal: Energy and Justice Ministers Resign at President's Request
Ukraine's energy minister and justice minister announced their resignation on Wednesday at the request of President Zelenskyy. The incident occurred against the backdrop of one of the country's most serious corruption scandals in recent years, as the nation has been fighting Russian invasion for nearly four years.
AFP, Kyiv, November 12: Earlier, Ukraine's anti-corruption agency announced the discovery of a major corruption case involving the energy sector, with bribes amounting to $100 million.
According to investigators, this case was orchestrated by a close associate of the president and is one of the worst corruption scandals since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
President Zelenskyy stated on social media: "It is absolutely unacceptable that there are certain conspiracies in the energy sector while Ukraine is facing power outages, Russian attacks, and casualties," he urged the ministers to resign.
Ukrainian energy minister Svitlana Gryntchouk later said on Facebook: "I have submitted my resignation," but she also insisted that she "did not violate any law."
Shortly after, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced that she had submitted the resignation applications of Ms. Gryntchouk and her predecessor (current Justice Minister) Guerman Galouchtchenko to parliament.
According to MPs, parliament is expected to vote on approving their removal on Friday.
"Disgusting"
The incident has sparked strong outrage in Ukraine, where residents face daily power cuts and heating shortages due to Russian attacks on energy networks.
Twenty-four-year-old content creator Davyd from Kyiv told AFP: "It's disgusting," he refused to reveal his surname. He expressed concern: "They are destroying us, our reputation and future." He worries that the scandal could affect European support for Kyiv.
AFP said that given Ukraine's high dependence on Western military and financial aid since the Russian invasion, the scandal has particular significance.
Olena Boïkova, a 57-year-old resident of Kyiv, said she felt "extremely angry." She angrily said, "The war is ongoing, and we have these internal enemies stealing money."
The Ukrainian National Anti-Corruption Prosecution charged Minister Guerman Galouchtchenko with receiving "personal benefits" in this case in exchange for transferring control over the flow of funds in the energy industry to the president's close associate Timur Minditch.
Svitlana Gryntchouk took over the position from Guerman Galouchtchenko in July, and has not yet been directly accused of corruption.
However, according to Ukrainian media, she is considered a close associate of her predecessor.
High Officials
The Ukrainian anti-corruption agency also accused the president's close associate Timur Minditch of orchestrating this large-scale corruption system, especially around the state nuclear operator Energoatom.
Minditch is a co-owner of the "Kvartal 95" production company, which was founded by Zelenskyy when he was a star comedian, and later Zelenskyy entered politics and was elected president in 2019.
Timur Minditch left Ukraine shortly before the scandal broke out, and he is also suspected of influencing decisions of government officials, including the former defense minister and current secretary of the National Security Council Rustem Umerov.
According to the anti-corruption agency, former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiï Tchernychov also appears on the list of defendants in this case.
President Zelenskyy did not comment on the accusations against Mr. Minditch.
But Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced that the government is ready to submit proposals for sanctions against Mr. Minditch and another businessman involved in the case, Oleksandre Tsoukerman.
This incident is one of the most serious political crises faced by President Zelenskyy, as the Russian invasion approaches its fourth year, and he faces increasing criticism.
This summer, the presidential administration tried to strip two main anti-corruption agencies - the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Special Anti-Corruption Bureau - of their independence, but eventually withdrew the decision after strong opposition from civil society and Western allies.
Source: rfi
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1848626590023875/
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