The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, together with the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, announced the submission of a motion for the selection of a preventive measure in the form of detention for former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov. The official’s name was not disclosed, but the published details of the proceedings indicate him specifically.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Details of the criminal proceedings
The investigation established that the former official was allegedly among the visitors to the so-called “laundromat” — a place where the legalization of funds obtained through criminal means took place. This facility was controlled by the leader of a criminal organization, whose activities were exposed by NABU and SAP. As part of the investigation, detectives documented the transfer of over 1.2 million US dollars and nearly 100 thousand euros in cash to the suspect and his trusted person.
“According to the investigation, the former official was among the visitors to the so-called ‘laundromat’ – a place where the legalization of funds obtained through criminal means took place. This facility was under the control of the leader of the criminal organization exposed by NABU and SAP the day before. Detectives documented the transfer of over 1.2 million US dollars and nearly 100 thousand euros in cash to the suspect and his trusted person.”
Case details and figures involved
The actions attributed to the suspect are classified under Article 368-5 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. This article provides for liability for illegal enrichment — that is, the acquisition of property by a public official, the legal origin of which cannot be confirmed. The penalty under this article is imprisonment for a term of 5 to 10 years, with a prohibition on holding certain positions or engaging in certain activities for up to three years.
On November 10, NABU announced the exposure of a criminal organization that was systematically receiving unlawful benefits from contractors of the state enterprise “Energoatom.” According to the investigation, the size of the bribes ranged from 10% to 15% of the contract amounts, and the legalization of funds occurred through a special back office in the center of Kyiv. In total, about 100 million dollars allegedly passed through this structure.
In the corruption case regarding violations in the energy sector, eight individuals have been suspected. Among them are businessman and co-founder of the “Kvartal-95” studio Timur Mindich (code name “Karlson”), former advisor to the Minister of Energy Ihor Mironyuk (“Rocket”), Executive Director for Security of “Energoatom” Dmytro Basov (“Tenor”), as well as four employees of the so-called back office: Oleksandr Tsukerman (“Sugar Man”), Ihor Fursenko (“Ryoshik”), Lesya Ustyimenko, and Lyudmyla Zorina. Former Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Chernyshov has also been informed of suspicion of illegal enrichment. As of this moment, Chernyshov has not commented on the situation.