Ukrainian lawmakers expressed the opinion that law enforcement agencies should thoroughly investigate the circumstances of the trip made by the father of former presidential office head Andriy Yermak to Russia. This visit took place after Volodymyr Zelensky won the presidential election, and Yermak was appointed as an assistant to the head of state.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Parliamentarians’ stance on the visit
Oleksandr Fedienko, a deputy from the “Servant of the People” faction and a member of the committee on national security, defense, and intelligence, stated that any contacts with Russia should be subject to scrutiny in light of national security.
“I believe that any communications with the Russian Federation should be investigated from the perspective of national security. We do not know why he flew there”
Yulia Sirko, deputy head of the “Voice” faction in the Verkhovna Rada, emphasized the need for an official investigation into this matter. She suggested that the trip might have been of a private nature, but stressed the importance of determining whether it was related to state information or Andriy Yermak’s political activities.
Details of the case and reactions from the parties
According to journalists, Boris Yermak, the father of Andriy Yermak, visited the Russian Federation at the end of 2019, traveling transit through Belarus. At that time, his son was already working in a high position in the presidential office.
Boris Yermak’s name was also mentioned during a session of the High Anti-Corruption Court while selecting a preventive measure for Andriy Yermak, who is suspected by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office of legalizing 460 million hryvnias in the construction of an elite residence near Kyiv. The investigation established that Boris Yermak was an authorized person and oversaw the construction of one of the houses in the “Dynasty” cooperative in the village of Kozyn. Meanwhile, Andriy Yermak denies his involvement in this construction.
As of today, Boris Yermak has not been officially suspected, unlike his son, who is currently a suspect in several cases.