The Ukrainian Parliament’s temporary investigative commission has summoned Rustem Umerov, the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), and former presidential aide Serhiy Shefir to provide testimony regarding the “Midas” corruption case. This development follows the release of recorded conversations involving both men.
Alexey Goncharenko, a member of the commission from the European Solidarity party, announced the summons on social media. He stated, “I am calling Serhiy Shefir to the commission meeting on May 13! Our morning began with new recordings from Mindich, published by Ukrainska Pravda, in which Shefir is mentioned. He visited Mindich at the well-known apartment on Hrushevskyi 9a, where they discussed the rescue of Zelensky’s associate, Oleksiy Chernyshov, and the notorious bail from the common fund. I am calling Shefir to provide official testimony in this matter.”
Goncharenko also indicated that Umerov would be required to attend the same session. He remarked, “Yesterday, Umerov stated from the podium that we should not ‘politicize’ the case. Yet today, we have new recordings where Mindich is giving orders to Umerov while he was serving as Minister of Defense. Mr. Umerov, this is not about politicization; we need to understand how it happened that during your tenure as the head of a key ministry during wartime, you had meetings and conversations with Timur Mindich. There are many questions to address. Please come to the commission.”
The backdrop to this inquiry includes the recent publication of recorded conversations by Ukrainska Pravda, which were documented by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) as part of the “Midas” investigation. These recordings feature discussions among Shefir, Umerov, and a woman named Natalia, all linked to Mindich, who is currently under sanctions and is suspected of corruption in the energy sector.
On April 28, Umerov was called to report to the Parliament regarding his connections to Mindich and the “Midas” case. However, he stated from the parliamentary podium that he had already provided all necessary information to the relevant law enforcement agencies and did not intend to further report to deputies, as he did not wish to politicize the matter.
The Ukrainian Parliament's investigative commission has summoned key figures, including Rustem Umerov and Serhiy Shefir, to testify about the 'Midas' corruption case. This follows the release of recorded conversations implicating them in discussions related to corruption in the energy sector.
Source: Ukrainska Pravda