Alleged ringleader in major corruption probe sues Zelensky over sanctions
on Google
Businessman Timur Mindich, charged in a major corruption case, filed a lawsuit against President Volodymyr Zelensky seeking to overturn sanctions imposed on him last fall, according to a court registry.
Mindich, a close associate of the president, is the alleged ringleader of the $100 million corruption scheme centered around the state nuclear monopoly Energoatom. After the revelations, Zelensky imposed sanctions on Nov. 13 on Mindich and businessman Oleksandr Tsukerman, who is also implicated in the case.
Mindich, an Israeli citizen, fled to Israel shortly before he was charged and sanctioned. Tsukerman has also fled Ukraine.
Earlier in May, Mindich filed a lawsuit with the Cassation Administrative Court, asking it to rule the sanctions "unlawful" and overtuen the presidential decree.
The President's Office has not commented on the matter.
The probe, launched last year, is the biggest corruption investigation of Zelensky's tenure. The story has continued to unfold in recent weeks.
In May, Mindich was charged with money laundering tied to the construction of a luxury cottage complex outside Kyiv. Six other people, including former President's Office Head Andriy Yermak and ex-Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Chernyshov, were also charged in the case.
This spring, Ukraine has requested Israel extradite Mindich and Tsukerman.
Oleksandr Abakumov, the detective in charge of the case, said in an interview with blogger Olena Trybushna that there have been cases when Israel extradited its citizens to Ukraine, though rarely.
"Israel is a very difficult country for extradition," he said. "In order to extradite a person, you essentially have to hand over all the materials of the criminal case."
