The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has decided to suspend Herman Halushchenko from his duties as Minister of Justice. This was announced by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. She emphasized that the extraordinary government meeting took place in the morning, and the duties of the head of the department will be temporarily performed by the Deputy Minister of Justice for European Integration, Lyudmyla Suhak.
This is reported by Kyiv24
“This morning, we held an extraordinary government meeting. We decided to suspend Herman Halushchenko from his duties as Minister of Justice.”
Corruption Investigation in the Energy Sector
Halushchenko’s suspension is related to a large-scale corruption investigation in the energy sector. According to the prosecutor of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, Serhiy Savytskyi, Timur Mindich — a former business partner of President Volodymyr Zelensky in “Kvartal 95,” who is suspected by NABU and SAP of leading a criminal organization, had influence over Halushchenko when he held the position of Minister of Energy. The prosecutor made this statement on November 11 during a court hearing in the High Anti-Corruption Court regarding the selection of a preventive measure for one of the defendants in the case — a former advisor to the minister.
NABU’s investigation revealed that the criminal organization organized “large-scale corruption schemes,” the main direction of which was the systematic receipt of unlawful benefits from “Energoatom” contractors amounting to 10-15% of the contract value. According to the bureau, approximately 100 million US dollars were laundered through a back office in the center of Kyiv.
Arrests and Suspicions in the Case
On November 11, NABU reported the arrest of five individuals involved in the activities of the criminal organization. Among them are current and former officials in the energy sector, a well-known businessman, and other individuals. In total, seven people have been notified of suspicion in this case. Among the suspects is a former Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, likely Oleksiy Chernyshov, although his name has not been officially mentioned, and he has not yet commented on the situation.
NABU detectives conducted over 70 searches in Kyiv and other regions, involving the entire staff of the National Bureau. The office of “Energoatom” confirmed the fact of the searches and stated that they are fully cooperating with the investigation.
NABU notes that the documentation of the criminal organization’s activities lasted over 15 months — since the summer of 2024. During this time, law enforcement gathered a significant amount of data and obtained thousands of hours of audio recordings.
On November 10, NABU detectives conducted searches at the businessman and co-owner of “Kvartal 95” Timur Mindich and former Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko.
The Ministry of Justice confirmed that investigative actions took place with Halushchenko’s participation and stated that the minister is fully cooperating with law enforcement. At the same time, the ministry emphasized that “given the need to maintain the confidentiality of the pre-trial investigation, the minister refrains from public comments until the relevant procedural actions are completed.”
According to information from law enforcement agencies, Timur Mindich left Ukraine shortly before the searches were conducted and is currently not commenting on the situation.
On November 10, a draft resolution was registered in the Verkhovna Rada for the dismissal of Herman Halushchenko from the position of Minister of Justice, as well as Svitlana Hrynchuk from the position of Minister of Energy. Hrynchuk stated that she would not respond to the situation at this time, as she “does not understand the claims.”
NABU detective Oleksandr Abakumov noted on the air of the “Ukrainska Pravda” program that during the investigation, four ministers of the Cabinet of Ministers were recorded, but these are officials from different periods, not just the current government composition.