Ukraine Suspends Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko Over Corruption Probe

On Wednesday, November 12, the government held an extraordinary meeting, at which they decided to suspend Herman Galushchenko from performing the duties of Minister of Justice. According to Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko, the duties of the minister have been assigned to Deputy Minister for European Integration Lyudmila Sugak.

“This morning the Government held an extraordinary meeting. We decided to suspend Herman Galushchenko from performing the duties of the Minister of Justice. The Government’s decision assigned the duties of the minister to the deputy minister of justice for European integration Lyudmila Sugak”

Herman Galushchenko commented on his suspension from the position of Minister of Justice, stating that he fully agrees that at this time “a political decision needs to be made, and only then deal with all the details”.

“I spoke with Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko. I fully agree: a political decision needs to be made, and only then should we deal with all the details. I am not clinging to the office of minister and I will not cling to it. I believe that suspension during the investigation is a civilized and correct scenario. I will defend myself in the legal arena and will defend my position”

Context of events and details of the investigation

On November 10, NABU announced a large-scale operation codenamed “Midas” to uncover corruption schemes in the energy sector, during which more than 70 searches were conducted. The agency released recordings of conversations of suspects with code names and claims that the scheme included: “Roket,” who was an adviser to the former energy minister and is now head of the Ministry of Justice Herman Galushchenko; “Tenor,” responsible for physical protection and security of Energoatom; a well-known businessman and four other people. In total they managed to launder 100 million dollars.

Energoatom stated that they fully cooperate with the investigative authorities, facilitate a transparent investigation, and provide all materials requested by law enforcement. Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk noted that neither she nor the former head of the department Herman Galushchenko had an adviser named Ihor Myroniuk, who features in the investigation under the alias “Roket.” She also emphasized that Energoatom is not under the direct management of the Ministry of Energy, but assured that the agency will respond in accordance with the results of the investigation.

In the Office of the President, the investigation by anti-corruption authorities into the energy sector scheme was commented on, and it was stated that accountability must be inevitable for all involved. President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed the need for “effective actions” and the inevitable punishment of all participants in the sector’s schemes.

Earlier on the morning of November 10, Ukrainian Pravda, citing sources, reported that NABU officers conducted searches at the businessman and co-owner of Kvartal 95 Timur Mindich. According to the publication, he left Ukraine a few hours earlier. The State Border Guard Service stated that it had no access to information regarding Mindich’s departure. The publication also claims that the SAP’s First Deputy Head Andriy Synyuk had access to high-profile cases and held “covert meetings” before Mindich’s alleged departure. The official told journalists that he denied disseminating information or having access to cases related to Mindich and Energoatom. SAP Head Oleksandr Klymenko established a commission for an internal investigation into possible leakage of pre-trial investigation data by NABU and SAP.

On November 11 it became known that the Ministry of Justice conducted investigative actions involving Herman Galushchenko. The minister refrained from public comments until the completion of the respective procedural actions.

Such steps by the authorities in light of investigations and suspensions are expected as part of efforts to ensure transparency and accountability in state structures. Further assessment of the situation will depend on the results of the investigation and the decisions made.