Ukraine’s former energy minister was detained on his way out of the country in connection with a major corruption scandal, authorities said Sunday.
Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) said its detectives had “detained a former energy minister as part of the Midas case,” referring to a wide-ranging investigation into corruption in Ukraine’s energy sector that sparked a major political crisis last year.
“Initial investigative operations are ongoing and are being carried out as required by law,” NABU added in a statement, without naming the former minister.
The scandal, which focused on allegations of kickbacks from contractors and others working to protect critical energy infrastructure, forced both current and former energy ministers to resign last year at the request of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Both denied wrongdoing.
Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak also resigned amid the fallout.
Investigators say about $100 million was siphoned off from state-owned companies such as Energoatom, which operates Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, by paying companies to improve safety at key facilities.
At the time, Ukraine’s anti-corruption body announced it had conducted raids on dozens of properties as part of its investigation.
Allegations of corruption in Ukraine are nothing new. Since 2023, NABU has launched investigations into a series of scandals.
In January 2024, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) announced the discovery of a large-scale corruption scheme in the country’s military’s weapons purchases totaling nearly $40 million.
