Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk resigns after Zelensky’s announcement
12 November 17:32
Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk has announced her resignation. She posted a statement on Facebook, noting that the position “has never been an end in itself,” "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Hrynchuk thanked President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the government, and MPs for the opportunity to work in the civil service over the past decade.
What the minister says
In her statement, she emphasized that there were no violations of the law within the scope of her professional activities:
“Such facts cannot exist in principle.”
Hrynchuk also responded to rumors about her personal life, calling them inappropriate:
“Any speculation on this topic is inappropriate. There must be a limit to everything.”
Hrynchuk’s decision coincided with the political resonance around the NABU tapes in the Energoatom case.
The day before, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Energy should leave their posts while the investigation continues.
Also, after the large-scale anti-corruption operation Midas, the government decided to remove Herman Halushchenko from his duties as Minister of Justice.
What is known about the Energoatom embezzlement case
on November 10, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) announced a large-scale operation called Midas to expose corruption in the energy sector, which included more than 70 searches.
The agency has released recordings of conversations between the codenamed suspects and claims that they were part of the scheme: “Rocket,” who was an adviser to former Energy Minister and now head of the Ministry of Justice Herman Halushchenko; “Tenor,” who was executive director of physical protection and security at Energoatom; a well-known businessman; and four other people. In total, they managed to launder $100 million.
Energoatom stated that it fully cooperates with the investigating authorities, promotes a transparent investigation and provides all materials requested by law enforcement.
Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk said that neither she nor the previous head of the department, Herman Halushchenko, had an advisor named Ihor Myroniuk, who is mentioned in the investigation under the pseudonym “Rocket.” She also noted that Energoatom is not directly managed by the Ministry of Energy, but assured that the agency “will respond in accordance with the results of the investigation.”
The President’s Office commented on the investigation by anti-corruption agencies into the energy sector embezzlement scheme and said that “there must be inevitability of punishment for all those involved.”
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that “effective actions” are needed and that there must be inevitable punishment for all those involved in the energy sector schemes.
On the morning of November 10, media outlets cited sources as saying that NABU officers had searched the home of businessman and co-owner of Kvartal 95 Timur Mindich. According to the publication, he had left Ukraine a few hours earlier. The State Border Guard Service stated that they had no access to information about the businessman’s departure.
The media also claim that the first deputy head of the SAPO, Andriy Sinyuk, had access to high-profile cases and held “secret meetings” before Mindich’s alleged departure. In a commentary to journalists, the official said that he did not “leak” any information and that he did not have access to cases that could be related to Mindich and Energoatom.
As a result, the head of the SAPO, Oleksandr Klymenko, set up a commission for an internal investigation into the possible leakage of data from the pre-trial investigation by the NABU and the SAPO.
on November 11, during a court hearing to choose a preventive measure for Ihor Myroniuk, the prosecutor in the case announced that Herman Halushchenko, former Minister of National Unity Oleksiy Chernyshov, and Timur Mindich are involved in the Energoatom embezzlement case and are also under investigation.
