The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has revealed new details regarding the investigation into corruption in the energy sector. According to the investigation, the legalization of illegally obtained funds occurred through a specialized office of a criminal organization located in the center of Kyiv.
This is reported by Kyiv24
The Role of the Derkach Family Office in the Money Laundering Scheme
NABU notes that the premises where the “black accounting” and financial records were maintained belonged to the family of Andriy Derkach – a former member of parliament and now a senator in the Federation Council of Russia. Derkach himself is a subject of several criminal proceedings and is wanted on charges of treason and illegal enrichment.
“The premises belonged to the family of former member of parliament and now senator of the Russian Federation Andriy Derkach, who is accused by NABU and SAP in another criminal proceeding. This office maintained strict records of received funds, conducted ‘black accounting,’ and organized money laundering through a network of non-resident companies,” the bureau claims.
The office functioned as a so-called “laundry,” through which, according to investigators’ estimates, approximately $100 million was funneled. A significant portion of the transactions, including cash withdrawals, occurred outside Ukraine. Furthermore, it is noted that individuals not part of the criminal organization also used the office’s services, paying fees based on the amounts processed through the structure.
Searches and New Details in the Energy Sector Investigation
In 2023, President Volodymyr Zelensky stripped Andriy Derkach of his Ukrainian citizenship. Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, Derkach has not appeared in parliament, and his parliamentary powers have been suspended. In the fall of 2024, it became known that Derkach had become a senator in the Federation Council of Russia representing the Astrakhan region.
Earlier that day, NABU reported on a large-scale operation conducted jointly with the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. According to the bureau, the activities of an influential criminal organization that systematically received illegal benefits from contractors of the Energoatom company, amounting to 10-15% of the contract value, were uncovered. During the investigation, over 70 searches were conducted with the participation of all NABU detectives.
According to the bureau, the organization of the corruption scheme involved a former deputy head of the State Property Fund (later an advisor to the Minister of Energy) and a former law enforcement officer who held the position of executive director for physical protection and security in the company. The name of the leader of the criminal group is not disclosed by NABU.
Member of Parliament Yaroslav Zheleznyak stated that searches are being conducted not only at Energoatom but also at former Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko, who currently heads the Ministry of Justice. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice has not commented on this information.
It has also become known that NABU detectives conducted searches at the businessman Timur Mindich, co-owner of the studio “Kvartal 95.” Whether these cases are related is currently unknown.