The government submitted for consideration to the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine proposals to apply personal sanctions against the co-owner of the Kvartal 95 studio Timur Mindich and businessman Alexander Tsukerman, suspected of organizing a criminal scheme at NNEGC Energoatom.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky called for sanctions against those involved in the case, promising to put the future decision of the National Security and Defense Council into force.
The head of state also called on the prime minister to submit to the Verkhovna Rada a draft on the dismissal of Ministers of Justice German Galushchenko and Energy Svetlana Grinchuk. They have not been informed of suspicions in the case, but both officials appear in wiretap recordings released by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau.
This morning Galushchenko was suspended from office.
Context
On November 10, NABU announced Operation Midas to expose a “high-level criminal organization” involved in extortion at Energoatom. According to the investigation, the state-owned company's contractors were offered to pay a kickback of 10% to 15% for goods and services, threatening to block payments from the budget or break off cooperation.
Investigative actions also took place regarding the Minister of Justice Galushchenko, who is identified in NABU wiretaps as Professor and Sigismund. In total, four ministers from different parts of the Ukrainian government appear in the Energoatom case, the head of the NABU detective department, Alexander Abakumov, told Ukrainskaya Pravda.
People's Deputy from “Golos” Yaroslav Zheleznyak announced the involvement of Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk in this story, he registered a draft resolution on her dismissal with the Verkhovna Rada. Grinchuk herself stated that she “does not understand the claims.”
Among those who were informed of suspicion in the Energoatom case on November 11, in addition to Mindich (in telephone records – Carlson) and Tsukerman (Sugarman), are ex-adviser to Galushchenko Igor Mironyuk Roket) and Energoatom security director Vladimir Basov (Tenor). On November 12, the High Anti-Corruption Court arrested both of them for 60 days with bail.
Igor Fursenko (Reshik), Lesya Ustimenko and Lyudmila Zorina were also suspected. In addition, NABU and SAPO reported suspicion of illegal enrichment to former Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Alexey Chernyshov (Che Guevara).
