Laundering of $460 million in luxury real estate development: Lawyer denies Yermak’s involvement in the scheme
12 May 13:05
Igor Fomin, the lawyer for Andriy Yermak, the former head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, emphasized the groundlessness of the allegations brought against his client the day before by anti-corruption authorities and denied Yermak’s involvement in the laundering of 460 million hryvnias through a luxury construction project near Kyiv. This is reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to Suspilne.
“You don’t have to be a professional lawyer to ask yourself: whose funds was Yermak supposed to launder in some construction project? In my opinion, this whole situation has been provoked by this public pressure,” Suspilne quoted Fomin as saying on its Telegram channel on Tuesday during an appearance on Suspilne Studio.
Fomin added that the defense will continue to provide a legal assessment of the actions in this case.
“Well, tapes—what do we have to do with any tapes? Did you hear Mr. Yermak’s voice there even once?” the lawyer noted.
Charges Against Andriy Yermak
Suspicions have been announced against Andriy Yermak, the former head of the Office of the President and one of the figures in the “Midas” corruption case being investigated by NABU and SAPO. This was confirmed by the press service of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.
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“NABU and SAPO have exposed an organized group involved in the legalization of 460 million hryvnias in an elite construction project near Kyiv. One of its participants—the former head of the Office of the President of Ukraine—has been notified of the charges,” the statement reads.
The charges were brought under Part 3 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code—laundering of property obtained by criminal means.
Urgent investigative actions are ongoing.
According to NABU, the construction took place in the Kozin Village Council in the Kyiv region in the “Dynasty” cottage community.
There, the suspects allegedly agreed to build four private residences for personal use.
Each residence has an area of approximately 1,000 square meters and a cost of about $2 million. The residences were built on plots with a total area of over 8 hectares, the value of which could exceed $6 million.
According to NABU and SAPO, the future owners of the residences and other individuals “laundered” nearly $9 million through the construction projects between 2021 and 2025.
Yermak himself declined to comment on the situation until the investigation is complete.
Yermak’s Dismissal and New Position
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Yermak in late November 2025 at the height of the scandal involving the so-called “Mindich tapes.” Yermak had headed the office for over five years and submitted his resignation under pressure from the circumstances.
Observers noted that many influential figures within the ruling team had asked the president to dismiss his ally in order to avoid the potential negative impact of the corruption case involving the so-called “Mindich tapes,” which point to corruption at the highest levels of the Ukrainian government.
On the morning of his dismissal, NABU conducted searches at Andriy Yermak’s residence, though no charges were formally filed against him at that time.
On November 30, Andriy Yermak announced that he was heading to the front lines. He informed a reporter for The New York Post of this shortly after his resignation.
“I am going to the front lines and am ready for any reprisals. I am an honest and decent person,” Yermak wrote in a message to the journalist.
However, he did not specify exactly when or how he intended to head to the front lines.
However, observers later suggested that the news and statement were a misunderstanding, and that the journalist may have misinterpreted the politician’s imperfect English.
In March, Andriy Yermak was appointed to a position at the Ukrainian Bar Association—he headed the committee on the protection of victims of armed aggression against Ukraine, compensation mechanisms, and the legal framework for recovery in the context of European integration.
Yermak has been a lawyer since 1995, but suspended his license while working in the Office of the President. His lawyer profile indicates that he resumed his practice on January 23, 2026.
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