Ukraine says it exposed ‘large-scale corruption scheme’ organized by deputy minister

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukraine’s Energy Ministry on Monday said it exposed a “large-scale corruption scheme” organized by a deputy energy minister.

“Law enforcement officers, with the assistance of Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko, exposed a large-scale corruption scheme organized by the Deputy Minister of Energy, who was arrested for a bribe of $500,000,” said a statement by the ministry.

The statement said the Energy Ministry submitted a request to Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers for the official’s dismissal, and that a decision will be made on Monday.

It further said investigations are currently ongoing.

“Cleansing the energy industry of any forms of corruption is one of the priorities of our work,” the statement also said.

The ministry is in close cooperation with the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), and all law enforcement agencies for the “complete eradication of corruption in the energy industry and the prevention of corruption in the future,” it added.

In a separate statement, NABU said the deputy energy minister and three accomplices, according to the investigation, requested the head of a coal enterprise to give a $500,000 bribe in return for the promise to “ensure the transfer and storage of valuable coal mining equipment from one state-owned enterprise to another.”

“The money was supposed to be handed over in five installments. … After the third tranche was given to one of the accomplices, he was caught red-handed. All four were detained and charged under Part 4 Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine,” it further said.

Taras Melnychuk, the government's permanent representative in the Ukrainian parliament, said later on Telegram that the Cabinet of Ministers dismissed Oleksandr Kheilo from his post as the deputy energy minister.

Since January 2023, several Ukrainian officials have been dismissed or resigned as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy launched a broad anti-corruption campaign.

A crackdown on corruption is critical if Ukraine hopes to advance its application to join the 27-member EU, which decided to open accession talks with Kyiv in December last year.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Critics have said Ukraine has long suffered from widespread corruption, but Russia's “special military operation” is said to have overshadowed the government's efforts to stamp out graft.​​​​​​​