Zelensky says he did not speak with Mindich since start of investigation
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that he had not spoken to businessman Tymur Mindich since the announcement of an investigation into corruption in the energy sector.
In addition, in an interview with Bloomberg, the president stressed that he would support a full investigation.
"The most important thing is a verdict for those who are guilty. The president of a country at war cannot have friends," he added.
On November 10, the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) announced a large-scale operation to expose corruption in the energy sector, which was called "Midas." The activities of a high-level criminal organization have been documented, whose members built a large-scale corruption scheme to influence strategic state-sector enterprises, in particular Joint Stock Company National Nuclear Energy Generating Company Energoatom. Energoatom" confirmed the conduct of investigative actions in the company on November 10.
Among the participants in the "Midas" operation identified by the NABU are a member of the National Energy Regulator Serhiy Pushkar, businessman Tymur Mindich, former executive director for physical protection and security of Energoatom Dmytro Basov, and former advisor to the Minister of Energy, and previously deputy head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine Ihor Myroniuk.
The main direction of the criminal organization’s activities, according to the NABU/SAP0, was the systematic receipt of illegal benefits from Energoatom counterparties in the amount of 10% to 15% of the value of contracts. In particular, "Energoatom" counterparties were imposed conditions of payment of "kickbacks" for avoiding blocking payments for services provided/products supplied or deprivation of supplier status. Using official connections in the ministry and state-owned company, in particular, the former deputy head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine, who later became an advisor to the Minister of Energy, as well as a former law enforcement officer who held the position of executive director for physical protection and security of Energoatom, ensured control over personnel decisions, procurement processes and the movement of financial flows.
Mindich left Ukraine on November 10, a few hours before the searches.
On November 12, the State Border Service of Ukraine reported that it had conducted a check on the border crossing by Mindich, who is a defendant in the NABU case against Energoatom, and established that he left Ukraine legally, since the agency had not received any instructions regarding him, in particular, regarding a ban on his departure from the country.
