Kyiv, Ukraine
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Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities announced on Friday that they were searching the home of Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff.
Officially the president’s chief of staff, Yermak is considered the second most powerful person in Ukraine. He recently led the Ukrainian delegation to talks with the United States over the war with Russia in Geneva.
Yermak confirmed the raid was underway and said on Telegram that he was “fully cooperating” with authorities.
“The investigators have not encountered any obstacles. They have been given full access to the apartment, and my attorney is on scene and interacting with law enforcement officials,” he said.
According to a statement released on Friday, Ukraine’s two main anti-corruption agencies, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), were both involved in the raid.
The statement did not give a reason for the raid, but it comes just two weeks after both agencies announced a thorough investigation into a kickback scheme involving Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure.
The scandal has already ousted two Zelensky government ministers and has also implicated former business associates from his time in the entertainment industry.
