Energy purge: Rada dismissed Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk
19 November 14:38
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on 19 November voted to dismiss Svitlana Hrynchuk from the post of energy minister. The decision, supported by 315 MPs, marked the end of a process initiated because of a conflict of interest in the minister’s work, "Komersant Ukrainian" reported.
The voted resolution with registration number 14212 and signed by Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko said that Hrynchuk was dismissed in accordance with paragraph 12 of part one of Article 85 of the Constitution of Ukraine, i.e. the powers of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine include the decision to dismiss members of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
Before voting for the dismissal of the ministers, Vice-President for Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka came to parliament.
He was authorized to represent the government, as Prime Minister Yuliya Sviridenko did not attend the meeting due to her participation in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
Kachka said during his speech that the investigation into the probable involvement of these ministers in a corruption scheme in the energy sector was a sufficient reason for their dismissal from their posts.
As seen from the broadcast of the Verkhovna Rada meeting, Minister Hrynchuk herself was not present at the meeting during the vote for her dismissal.
In addition, Vice-President for Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka noted that Ministers Hrynchuk and Galushchenko had no business trips yet.
We shall remind you that earlier Hrynchuk herself wrote a letter of resignation. The submission of dismissal was supported by the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Energy. 21 members of the Committee voted for it, indicating an inter-factional consensus on her resignation.
Svitlana Hrynchuk’s resignation is not an isolated case.
Earlier, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted in favor of the resignation of the Minister of Justice Herman Galushchenko.
What is known about the corruption scandal in Energoatom
“Operation Midas”
NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine) together with SAP (Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office) launched a large-scale investigation of the energy sector under the code name “Midas”.
The case involves a corruption scheme in the state-owned nuclear company NAEK Energoatom, through which contractors, according to the investigation, systematically paid kickbacks amounting to 10-15% of the value of contracts.
The investigation lasted 15 months, investigators collected more than 1,000 hours of audio recordings.
Who is under suspicion
Seven people have already been declared suspects. Among them are a businessman, whom NABU calls “the head of a criminal organization,” a former advisor to the energy minister, Energoatom’s executive director of security, and four “back office” employees who allegedly legalized the funds.
According to law enforcers, the likely key organizer of the scheme is Timur Mindich, a businessman associated with Kvartal 95.
A former advisor to the Minister of Energy is also involved.
According to the investigation, the scheme consisted of Energoatom’s contractors agreeing to pay kickbacks to avoid blocking payments or losing their supplier status.
The money was allegedly legalized through a “back office” that was controlled by the criminal group.
The investigation uses aliases: audio recordings mention “Tenor,” “Professor” and “Carlson” as participants in the scheme.
Energoatom’s response
Energoatom states that “the incident that took place” did not damage the financial condition of the company and did not affect the production plans or safety of the nuclear power plant.
At the same time, the company’s supervisory board has called an extraordinary meeting to initiate an independent review of internal control systems.
Political and international implications
The European Union has already reacted: the G7 ambassadors have called for a transparent and independent investigation.
EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas called the corruption scandal “extremely unfortunate,” emphasizing that it is a matter of trust and the effectiveness of public administration.
President Vladimir Zelensky said that transparency at Energoatom is a priority and those responsible must be held accountable.
The government has already started reform: top officials are reportedly being removed, a full audit of the state-owned company and a renewal of the supervisory board are being prepared.
“Energoatom is a strategic enterprise: it is the state-owned nuclear energy operator. Corruption here can undermine both the financial stability and energy security of the country.
The scheme opened up channels for kickbacks when state contracts are extremely critical.
