Former Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko was detained by detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine while attempting to cross the state border. The detention took place on February 15 as part of the investigation into the so-called ‘Midas’ case.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Initial Investigative Actions and NABU’s Position
The NABU reported that urgent investigative actions are ongoing, conducted in accordance with current legislation and based on court sanctions. The agency promised to provide additional information after these procedural steps are completed.
“Initial investigative actions are ongoing, carried out in accordance with the requirements of the law and court sanctions. Details will follow,” the agency emphasized.
As of now, no further details regarding the circumstances of the detention have been disclosed. Herman Halushchenko himself has not yet publicly commented on the situation.
Background and Details of the Case
It is worth noting that on November 19, the Verkhovna Rada decided to dismiss Energy and Justice Ministers Svitlana Hrynchuk and Herman Halushchenko. Both were not present at the parliamentary session. Commenting on his suspension, Halushchenko stated that he “is not clinging to the ministerial position” and considers the suspension during the investigation a civilized and correct decision.
In November, NABU announced the exposure of a criminal organization that, according to the investigation, was systematically receiving illegal benefits from the counterparties of the company ‘Energoatom’. The amount of bribes, according to the bureau, ranged from 10% to 15% of the value of the contracts concluded. The funds obtained were laundered through a back office in the center of Kyiv, with the total amount passing through it reaching about 100 million dollars. The office, according to the investigation, belonged to the family of former people’s deputy and now senator of the Russian Federation Andriy Derkach, who is involved in another criminal proceeding by NABU and SAP.
NABU detective Oleksandr Abakumov reported on a television broadcast that during the investigation of this case, detectives recorded the involvement of four ministers from the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine from different periods, indicating the scale of the investigation.