Ukraine's anti-corruption court on Thursday ordered the arrest of Andrii Iermak, a close aide of Ukraine's president and former chief of staff of his administration, on charges of money laundering, the Kyiv Independent and Reuters report.
The court also set bail at 140 million hryvnias (the equivalent of $3.19 million), which would allow Iermak, who has denied the charges against him, to be released pending a final ruling in his case.
Iermak was placed in pretrial detention for two months and will, at least for now, spend his time behind bars.
“I don't have that much money for bail. At this point, my lawyer will work with friends and acquaintances. I deny any charges. I have nothing to hide and I will file an appeal,” Iermak told reporters.
Major case of high level corruption
Ukraine's anti-corruption agency (NABU) announced on Monday that it had discovered a money laundering scheme that, according to local media, involves the former chief of staff of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Andriy Iermak.
Ukrainian investigators say more than $8.9 million was laundered between 2021 and 2025 through the construction of an elite cottage complex in the village of Kozyn, a wealthy enclave south of the capital Kiev.
According to prosecutors, the funds needed for this large-scale construction project came from a multimillion-dollar corruption scheme centered around the state nuclear monopoly Energoatom.
NABU alleges that high-ranking Energoatom officials charged illegal commissions of 10-15% from Energoatom contractors in exchange for maintaining their status as suppliers and not blocking access to their products and services.
Andrii Iermak was Volodymyr Zelensky's chief adviser from 2020 until the end of last year. Iermak tendered his resignation from office in November 2025 after being targeted by file searches.
