“Large-scale corruption scheme in energy sector: SAPO reveals new details of investigationThe Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office has revealed new details of a large-scale corruption scheme in Ukraine’s energy sector. The criminal organization systematically received 10-15% kickbacks from Energoatom’s contractors for avoiding payment blocking.
”, — write: unn.ua
DetailsAs noted by the prosecutor’s office, the main activity of the criminal organization was the systematic receipt of undue benefits from “Energoatom” contractors, ranging from 10 to 15% of the contract value.
Energoatom’s contractors were forced to pay kickbacks to avoid blocking payments for services rendered/products supplied or to avoid losing their supplier status. SAP noted that this practice was called “barrier.”
The investigation found that the head of the criminal organization involved a former deputy head of the State Property Fund, who later became an adviser to the Minister of Energy, as well as a former law enforcement officer who held the position of executive director for physical protection and security of the company, in the implementation of the scheme.
The defendants, using official connections in the ministry and the state company, ensured control over personnel decisions, procurement processes, and the movement of financial flows, according to the SAP publication.
In fact, the management of a strategic enterprise with an annual income of over UAH 200 billion was carried out not by official functionaries, but by outsiders who had no formal authority, but took on the role of “overseers.”
At the same time, as noted by People’s Deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak, the tapes published by NABU and SAP recorded the voices of the following defendants in the case:
- “Carlson” – Timur Mindich, businessman, film producer, co-owner of Studio “Kvartal 95”;
- “Professor” – Herman Halushchenko, former Minister of Energy and current Minister of Justice of Ukraine;
- “Tenor” – Dmytro Basov (Myaskovsky), former employee of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine, who investigated the murder of journalist Georgiy Gongadze in 2000 and was part of the group investigating the shootings of the Heavenly Hundred and the economic crimes of fugitive ex-president Viktor Yanukovych in 2014. Then Basov became the head of the physical protection and special security unit of NNEGC “Energoatom”;
- “Rocket” – Ihor Myroniuk, adviser to Herman Halushchenko and assistant to the traitor of Ukraine Andriy Derkach (son of the late ex-head of the SBU Leonid Derkach, former People’s Deputy of Ukraine and current senator of the Russian Federation – ed.).
RecallOn Monday, November 10, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office conducted an operation to expose a corruption scheme influencing strategic enterprises of the state sector, in particular JSC “NNEGC “Energoatom”.
Against the background of the searches, a statement was submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine regarding the dismissal of the current Minister of Justice and former Minister of Energy of Ukraine Herman Halushchenko, as well as a resolution on the dismissal of the current Minister of Energy Svitlana Hrynchuk.
NABU also published part of the recordings in a large-scale corruption case in the energy sector. The operation was called “Midas”.