«The most difficult decisions bring the best results» — Kim after Yermak's dismissal

Kim commented on Yermak's release. Photo from an interview with RAMINA TV channel

The head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, Vitalii Kim, has commented on the decision to dismiss Andrii Yermak from the post of head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.

He wrote about this on his social media.

«Everything will be Ukraine! The most difficult decisions always bring the best results», he said.

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Earlier, the leader of the «Servant of the People» faction, David Arakhamiia, issued a statement in support of Zelensky's decisions.

As a reminder, on the morning of 28 November, «Ukrainska Pravda» reported that anti-corruption agencies were conducting searches at the home of the head of the Presidential Office, Andrii Yermak.

Later, the NABU and the SAPO confirmed the investigative actions against Yermak. The head of the Presidential Office himself wrote about this, confirming that searches were being conducted in the government quarter where his apartment is located.

Amid the searches by NABU and SAPO, the head of the Presidential Office, Andrii Yermak, resigned.

A week earlier, the head of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, Oleksandr Klymenko, said that the Mindich case involved a person with the call sign «Ali Baba». According to unofficial information, it was Andrii Yermak.

«Midas». Large-scale corruption in the energy sector

On the morning of 10 November, it became known that NABU detectives were conducting a search of the businessman and co-owner of the studio «Kvartal 95» Timur Mindich. At the same time, as UP pointed out, Timur Mindich left the territory of Ukraine on the same day — a few hours before the start of the investigation. According to the source, he «fled the country at night».

Later it became known that the NABU and the SAPO were conducting a large-scale operation to expose corruption in the energy sector. The bureau said the investigation lasted 15 months. More than 70 searches were conducted as part of the case, and investigators collected more than 1,000 hours of audio recordings. As part of the operation, they searched the offices of former Energy Minister and Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and «Energoatom».

On the same day, the NABU and the SAPO published part of the audio recordings of conversations between the persons involved in the corruption scheme. The tapes released by the Bureau include officials with call signs «Tenor», «Rocket», «Carlson». According to «RBK-Ukraine», the tapes feature:

• Ihor Myroniuk — former advisor to the Minister of Energy (Rocket);
• Dmytro Basov — Executive Director for Physical Protection and Security of «Energoatom», former employee of the Prosecutor General's Office (Tenor);
• Timur Mindich — businessman, head of the organisation (Carlson);
• Herman Halushchenko, former Minister of Energy, now Minister of Justice (Professor).

It also became known that the defendants were involved in the legalisation of illegally obtained funds in an office in the centre of Kyiv. It belongs to the family of MP Andrii Derkach, who is now a politician in Russia.

In the published fourth part of the investigation, the NABU found that participants in the energy sector corruption scheme transferred funds to the former Deputy Prime Minister, who was referred to in the documents and materials of the investigation as Che Guevara. Later it became known that it was former Minister of National Unity Oleksiy Chernyshov. He was notified of being suspected of illicit enrichment.

Later, «Schemes» (Radio Liberty) named the names of all those who had been notified of suspicion by NABU as part of a large-scale corruption scheme in the energy sector. Among them was not the name of Herman Halushchenko. However, only on 12 November did it become known that Halushchenko had been removed from office following an investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau into corruption schemes at NNEGC «Energoatom».

Commenting on the situation, «Energoatom» stated that the large-scale corruption in the energy sector recently exposed by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine did not affect the stability of its operations.

During a forum of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting held in Kyiv on 14 November, the head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, Semen Kryvonos, said that all law enforcement agencies had information about corruption schemes operating at «Energoatom» but left it unreacted to. At the same time, the head of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, Oleksandr Klymenko, said that meetings were being held in Ukraine to instruct law enforcement agencies to prosecute NABU detectives and SAPO prosecutors.

On 18 November, a court remanded former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Chernyshov in custody in the energy corruption case.

On 19 November, the Verkhovna Rada voted to dismiss Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk.