Zelensky’s ex-chief of staff in court as Ukraine corruption probe escalates

(BBC News) President Volodymyr Zelensky’s former right-hand man Andriy Yermak appeared in a Kyiv court on Tuesday, after he was named by Ukraine’s two anti-corruption agencies as a suspect in a money-laundering scheme.

Yermak’s lawyer had earlier denounced as “baseless” allegations that the former head of the presidential office had been caught up in a corruption scandal surrounding a $10.5-million (£7.5m) luxury construction project outside Kyiv.

Hours before the court hearing Yermak told reporters “I do not have any house, I only have one flat and one car,” adding later that he would comment afterwards.

For years he was a close friend of Zelensky, and led Ukraine’s talks with the US until an anti-corruption raid on his flat last November prompted his resignation.

Ukraine’s Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) said it was asking the Kyiv court to either place him in preventive detention or give him bail of about $4 million (£3m).

The head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) stressed that Zelensky himself was not part of the pre-trial investigation.

Yermak had been the president’s closest adviser throughout Russia’s full-scale invasion, until he became caught up in a broader inquiry by SAPO and NABU into an alleged $100-million (£74m) embezzlement scheme in Ukraine’s nuclear energy sector.

He was not charged or formally named as a suspect at the time, however the swirling allegations have cast a shadow over Ukraine’s bid to join the European Union. Last year, Zelensky had to scrap a law that weakened the independence of the two anti-corruption agencies, following widespread protests and criticism from the EU.

As part of Operation Midas, ex-Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov was charged with abuse of office, while businessman Timur Mindich reportedly fled the country after he was flagged as a suspect and ex-energy minister Herman Haluschenko was detained while trying to leave.

Like Yermak, Mindich was once part of Zelensky’s inner circle and co-owned the president’s former TV studio Kvartal95, before sanctions were imposed on him. Mindich denies wrongdoing.

The latest claims centre on an elite housing project called “Dynasty” in a village outside Kyiv where millions in construction funds were allegedly laundered. The anti-corruption bureau shared part of a wiretapped conversation as part of its case, and said six more people had been identified as suspects.

Yermak’s defence lawyer Ihor Fomin told Ukraine’s Suspilne public broadcaster on Tuesday that the “baseless” accusations against the former chief of staff had all been triggered by public pressure, the like of which he had never witnessed before.

“When the investigative actions are over, I will provide a comment,” Yermak told reporters on Monday night.

Presidential adviser Dmytro Lytvun, said as the case was ongoing it would be premature to comment on “ongoing procedural actions”.

The latest revelations came as Russia ended a three-day ceasefire while it marked victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.

In a series of overnight attacks, more than 200 drones targeted Ukraine, leaving at least one person dead, authorities said. The capital Kyiv had been relatively quiet for days,

Meanwhile, Moscow said it had shot down more than 100 Ukrainian drones in the past 24 hours.

Russia’s Vladimir Putin suggested at the weekend that the war was “coming to an end”, however Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasised on Tuesday that “a lot of homework is still to be done”, and indicated that Putin was unlikely to meet Ukraine’s leader any time soon.

Zelensky had said earlier that Russia had “no intention of ending this war” and was preparing further attacks.

Although Russia’s Victory Day parade on Saturday was markedly low key, with no military hardware on display, Putin announced on Tuesday that Moscow would deploy a new 35,000-km-range nuclear missile called Sarmat at the end of 2026.

As he spoke, Russia’s defence ministry released a video showing a missile launch, and Putin described it as the “most powerful missile system in the world”.

Work on another nuclear-powered missile, the Burevestnik, and a nuclear-powered torpedo was “in its final stages”, Putin said.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g48kj40lwo