“In an interview with Bloomberg, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi talked about his contacts with businessman and co-owner of Kvartal-95 judge Timur Mindich against the background of the corruption scandal.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. OP’s photo Source: Bloomberg
Details: The publication wrote an article about the corruption scandal in the Ukrainian energy industry, in which an associate of the president became a figurehead.
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Bloomberg does not provide any quotes from Zelensky regarding communication with Mindich, but writes the following sentence: “The president told Bloomberg that he has not spoken to Mindich since the corruption probe was announced” (In the original: The president told Bloomberg that he hasn’t spoken to Mindich since the corruption probe was announced).
It is not clear from this sentence whether it is about the beginning of the investigation 1.5 years ago, or about the embezzlement scandal at Energoatom, which became known on November 10.
“Ukrainian Pravda” tried to clarify this information in the Office of the President, but did not receive a response.
The publication also cited a quote from Zelensky that “the most important thing is sentencing the guilty” and that “the president of a country at war cannot have friends.”
What happened before: On November 13, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi put into effect the decision of the National Security and Defense Council to impose sanctions against the businessman, co-owner of the studio “Kvartal-95” and his associate Timur Mindich and businessman Oleksandr Zukerman.
Read also: From the minister to the “watchers”: how the Energoatom embezzlement scheme worked and who is behind it
Prehistory:
- On the morning of November 10, it became known that NABU is conducting searches of businessman Timur Mindich and Minister of Justice Herman Galushchenko (as of November 12, Galushchenko was suspended from his post). At the same time, UP sources reported that Mindich had fled abroad a few hours before the searches.
- On the same day, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine reported that it had uncovered a large-scale corruption scheme for the embezzlement of funds in the energy sector, as well as made public audio recordings of the negotiations of the participants in this case.
- On November 12, the Cabinet of Prime Minister Yulia Svyridenko decided to make a submission to the National Security and Defense Council regarding the introduction of sanctions against Timur Mindich and Oleksandr Zukerman.