HACC took Timur Mindich into custody: what is known
1 December 20:16
The High Anti-Corruption Court has imposed a pre-trial restraint on businessman Tymur Mindich in the form of detention. The court’s decision was reported by Suspilne TV, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Mindich is one of the key defendants in a large-scale corruption case involving kickbacks at the state energy giant Energoatom.
What happened in court
Prosecutors said that Mindic had been in contact with another defendant, businessman Oleksandr Zukerman, and that they used noise-canceling devices during conversations, which, according to the investigation, could indicate attempts to conceal illegal activities.
Part of the court session had to be closed for 15 minutes due to consideration of materials that could pose a threat to national security.
Since Mindich’s whereabouts are currently unknown, prosecutors said that after the pre-trial restraint is imposed, the case may be transferred to Interpol, which will allow him to be detained when he tries to cross the border.
What is known about the disappearance of the defendants
Both Mindich and Zukerman are wanted. Law enforcement officials point to November 20 as the date when both disappeared. Their absence complicates both the investigation and the prospect of interrogating key figures in the case.
What was Mindich and Zukerman’s role in the corruption schemes?
In the previously published audio recordings, Timur Mindich manages financial transactions, discusses the registration of proxies through fictitious employment, gives instructions on security measures, and demonstrates awareness of the NABU’s attention.
Alexander Zuckerman is a 61-year-old businessman. He left Ukraine a few weeks ago. Investigators call him a co-organizer of energy schemes with Mindich and a back-office employee for money laundering.
His code name is “Sugarman”. In the recordings of February 2025, he discusses the transfer of money to the Deputy Prime Minister (at that time Oleksiy Chernyshov).
The scandal at Energoatom
As you know, businessman Timur Mindich is one of the defendants in the high-profile corruption scandal at Energoatom. On November 10, the NABU and the SAPO published the so-called Mindich tapes, which show that a kickback scheme was operating at Energoatom, with contractors being demanded to pay 10-15% of the transaction amount.
The scandal also implicated former Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and former Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk, who have both resigned. Mnidic is also suspected of putting pressure on the current Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, who previously served as Minister of Defense.
According to law enforcement:
- The money was legalized through an office in Kyiv associated with the family of former MP and current Russian Senator Andrii Derkach.
- According to the prosecutor’s office, thescheme was coordinated by businessmen Alexander Zuckerman (nicknamed “Chief” / “Sugarman”) and Timur Mindich (nicknamed “Carlson”).
- Law enforcement officials call Mindich close to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
- The SAPO claims that during 2025, Mindich influenced Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko and then-Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
