Breaking: Zelensky's former second-in-command, Yermak, charged in major corruption probe

Editor's Note: This is a developing story.

President Volodymyr Zelensky's former chief of staff has been charged with laundering money as part of a sweeping corruption investigation, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) said in a statement.

Although not named in SAPO's statement, the chief of staff in question is Andriy Yermak, a source in law enforcement familiar with the case told the Kyiv Independent.

"I will comment after the investigation is over," Yermak told journalists soon after being charged.

Yermak has been under investigation in a probe into a $100 million corruption scheme centered around the state nuclear monopoly Energoatom. The Energoatom probe, launched last year, is the biggest corruption investigation of Zelensky's tenure.

Nine suspects were already charged in the Energoatom case, among them Timur Mindich, a close Zelensky associate, ex-Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov and former Energy and Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko.

Suspects in the Energoatom case allegedly gave money to Chernyshov for the construction of high-end houses near Kyiv, a law enforcement source told the Kyiv Independent.

One of the luxury houses near Kyiv financed through the Energoatom corruption scheme was meant for Yermak, the source added.

The President's Office and Yermak did not respond to requests for comment.

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