The EU does not comment on the NABU case against Energoatom, but emphasizes the importance of anti-corruption reforms
12 November 11:17
The European Commission said that it does not comment on individual cases or ongoing anti-corruption cases in Ukraine. They emphasized that the fight against corruption is one of the conditions for Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
This was reported by the press service of the European Commission, "Komersant Ukrainian" citing Suspilne.
“The fight against corruption requires constant efforts to ensure a strong capacity to fight corruption and uphold the rule of law. -It is necessary to protect the role of independent anti-corruption bodies, which are the cornerstone of the rule of law in Ukraine as a future EU member state,” the European Commission’s press service said.
The European Commission also calls on Ukraine to consolidate its achievements in corruption cases, in particular on asset seizure and confiscation, and to focus on cases with a significant public impact.
“We will continue to closely monitor the rule of law situation and stand ready to provide support,” the institution added.
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.
