Ukrainian Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk has submitted her resignation due to a sprawling corruption scandal.
“I request that my resignation from the post of energy minister of Ukraine be accepted,” she wrote in a hand-written resignation letter published on Facebook on Wednesday.
Justice Minister German Galushchenko also offered to quit his post, according to Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, as the scandal continues to widen.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had earlier called on Hrynychuk and Galushchenko to resign. “I ask members of parliament to support these requests,” the head of state said in a video message. It was a matter of trust, he said.
Galushchenko had already been relieved of his duties by the prime minister on Wednesday morning.
Ukraine is reeling from a bribery scandal involving millions of dollars. The scandal is said to involve payments not only in the energy sector, but also in the defence sector, which is vital for the country’s security.
Galushchenko, a former energy minister who became justice minister in July, had his home searched by police on Tuesday. He was suspended from his post during an extraordinary Cabinet meeting earlier on Wednesday.
His duties were assigned to Deputy Minister of Justice for European Integration Liudmyla Suhak, according to an announcement by Svyrydenko.
Galushchenko is among several suspects in what Ukrainian officials describe as a far-reaching investigation into alleged bribery linked to energy infrastructure projects.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) said they are probing alleged kickbacks involving state nuclear company Energoatom.
The case centers on millions in bribes allegedly paid during the construction of protective structures meant to shield energy facilities from Russian airstrikes.
Zelenskyy assured the anti-corruption authorities of his full support.
“There will be a cleansing and reset of Energoatom’s management,” the president pledged. He also announced sanctions on two individuals involved in the case.
Although corrupt deals involving arms contracts have surfaced before in Ukraine, this is one of the country’s largest such scandals since Russia’s full-scale invasion began more than three and a half years ago.
Galushchenko said on social media that he agreed with the government’s decision to suspend him, calling it a “civilized and correct” step while investigations are ongoing.
He pledged to cooperate with prosecutors while defending himself fully.
No details of the allegations against Galushchenko have been provided by authorities.
The Justice Ministry had confirmed on Tuesday that it was assisting investigators, reiterating it has “zero tolerance” for corruption.
Authorities said on Tuesday that five people had been detained and seven were under investigation. The group is suspected of laundering about $100 million in bribes.
The payments allegedly relate not only to energy sector deals, but also the armaments industry, which is crucial to Ukraine’s defence.
At the centre of the probe is Timur Mindich, a long-time associate and business partner of Zelenskyy from his days working in the entertainment industry.
Prosecutors accuse Mindich of exerting influence not only over Galushchenko but also over former defence minister Rustem Umerov. Umerov acknowledged having contact with Mindich but denied any wrongdoing.
Mindich, who is described as the main suspect, allegedly sought to influence state decisions “in the energy and defence sectors,” prosecutors said. He is believed to have fled Ukraine.
Umerov, who is now secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, admitted contacts with Mindich in a statement, but strictly rejected accusations of corruption.
Moscow used the scandal to take a swipe at Ukraine’s Western backers.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said European capitals and the United States – Kiev’s financial backers – would presumably take note of the corruption scandal, Russian news outlets reported.
“Of course, these countries are beginning to understand increasingly well that a significant portion of the money they take from their taxpayers is being plundered by the regime in Kiev,” he was reported as saying.
According to the German government however, despite its extensive support for Ukraine, no German funds have been affected by the corruption scandal.
“We have no information that German aid funding has been affected by the incidents,” said a spokesman for the Development Ministry in Berlin. There were also no known cases of attempted corruption involving German companies.
Zelenskyy has called for all those found guilty to be punished regardless of their position or political connections.
Energoatom said the investigation had no impact on its financial stability, power production or nuclear safety.
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