Ukraine's justice minister suspended amid major corruption investigation
Ukraine’s Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko has been suspended amid a major corruption investigation involving the state nuclear power company Energoatom.
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said the call was made during an extraordinary government session on Wednesday morning.
“A decision was made to suspend Herman Halushchenko from performing the duties of the minister of justice," Svyrydenko said in a post on X.
"By the government's decision, the performance of the minister's duties was assigned to Lyudmila Suhak, the deputy minister of justice for European integration.”
Halushchenko first served as Ukraine’s energy minister since 2021 and was appointed justice minister this July. He is now being investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) as part of a large-scale corruption scheme involving Energoatom.
Halushchenko said he supports the government’s decision to suspend him, adding that he had a conversation with the prime minister.
"I fully agree: a political decision needs to be made first, and only then should we deal with all the details," he said on Facebook.
“I am not clinging to the position of minister and will not cling to it. I believe that suspension during the investigation is a civilized and proper course of action. I will defend myself in the legal domain and prove my position.”
Earlier, the Ukrainian government also announced its decision to dissolve Energoatom's supervisory board.
NABU probe continues
On Tuesday, Ukraine’s anti-corruption bureau charged eight people with bribery, abuse of office and illicit enrichment.
It also published tapes where the group, using code names and encrypted language, discussed alleged kickbacks and bribes.
According to NABU, the main organiser of the alleged corruption scheme is believed to be Timur Mindich, a former business partner of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He is the co-owner of Kvartal 95, a production company founded and formerly part-owned by the president of Ukraine.
Anti-corruption prosecutor Serhiy Savytskyi said at a court hearing on Tuesday that Mindich allegedly committed a crime by unlawfully influencing Halushchenko.
NABU said the investigation lasted for 15 months and resulted in 1,000 hours of wiretapping and 70 raids.
Halushchenko is also featured in the NABU tapes.