Court sets $4.6 million bail for Ukrainian ex-minister in biggest graft case of Zelensky era
The High Anti-Corruption Court on Feb. 17 placed former Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko in custody for two months in a major corruption case and set bail at Hr 200 million ($4.6 million).
The official has been investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) as part of a case involving the state nuclear power company Energoatom. Eight other suspects have been charged, and Timur Mindich, a close associate of Zelensky, is the alleged ringleader.
Halushchenko denied any wrongdoing, calling the charges "manipulative." Earlier, the former minister said he could afford the bail in the range of Hr 20-30 million ($460,000-$693,000).
"I'm not satisfied with the bail," Halushchenko said. "I will raise (the money) for lawyers so they can file an appeal."
The NABU charged Halushchenko with money laundering and organized crime on Feb. 16, months after Ukraine was shaken by the biggest corruption scandal during Volodymyr Zelensky's presidency.
The day before the charges were brought, the former minister was detained while attempting to leave Ukraine. Halushchenko says that he wasn't planning to flee and that all he did was "in accordance with the law."
Halushchenko served as energy minister from 2021 to 2025 and was appointed justice minister in July 2025. He was dismissed as justice minister in November amid the scandal.
According to the NABU, members of the criminal group exposed by the anti-graft agencies in November initiated the registration of a fund on the island of Anguilla in February 2021. At that time, Halushchenko was serving as vice president of Energoatom but continued to wield influence over the company while holding the position of justice minister, SAPO said.
The fund aimed to raise about $100 million in "investments," with Halushchenko's family among the "investors," according to the NABU. It was led by a longtime associate of the group, a citizen of the Seychelles and St. Kitts and Nevis, who allegedly provided money laundering services.
To conceal Halushchenko's involvement, two companies were allegedely set up in the Marshall Islands and linked to a trust in St. Kitts and Nevis, with his ex-wife and four children as beneficiaries, the bureau said.
The NABU alleged that the companies became "investors" in the fund, while the group transferred funds to the fund's accounts in three Swiss banks, in Halushchenko's interest.
According to the bureau, during Halushchenko's tenure as energy minister, over $112 million was funneled through Ihor Mironyuk, a former lawyer to Halushchenko and a suspect in the case.
Halushchenko, sometimes referred to as "energy minister" and sometimes by the code names "Professor" and "Sigismund", features in audio recordings earlier published by the NABU. In the tapes, suspects Myroniuk and Dmytro Basov appear to divide kickbacks between themselves and Halushchenko.
The NABU said over $7.4 million was transferred to the fund's accounts controlled by Halushchenko's family. Additionally, more than 1.3 million Swiss francs ($1.6 million) and 2.4 million euros ($2.8 million) were withdrawn in cash and sent directly to his family in Switzerland, according to the bureau.
According to the NABU, part of the funds were spent on Halushchenko's children's education at top Swiss institutions and placed in the ex-wife's accounts. The remainder was allegedely put into a deposit, "earning extra income for the family's personal use."
In December, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's investigative project Schemes reported that Halushchenko's 18-year-old son, Maksym, has been studying for four years at the College Alpin Beau Soleil in Switzerland, with an annual cost of up to $200,000.
In court, Halushchenko denied that his family was involved in money laundering. He said that his son's education was paid for by "different people," including a "wealthy godfather," whose name he refused to disclose.
"This isn't my family's money. My family has been living in a rented apartment since 2022," the ex-minister said. "If they had this money, they would have bought a house or an apartment for themselves."
During the court hearing, the SAPO also said that then Justice Minister Halushchenko and current Deputy Minister Yevhen Pikalov discussed which cell to place NABU detective Ruslan Maghamedrasulov, arrested in July amid a crackdown on anti-graft agencies.
According to SAPO, Pikalov allegedly mentioned a request from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to place Magamedrasulov in a "free cell with unpleasant neighbors." He reportedly sent a photo of the cell to Halushchenko, who approved it.
Magamedrasulov was kept in what his lawyer called "horrible" conditions, while critics argued that his arrest was a political move. The NABU detective was released from custody in early December.
Halushchenko denied giving any instructions, calling the conversation "out of context."
Halushchenko is one of the few top officials charged in the case, which has triggered the biggest political reshuffle since the start of Russia's full-scale war.
In November, Oleksiy Chernyshov, former Deputy Prime Minister, was placed in custody for two months with a Hr 51.6 million ($1.2 million) bail. He was released after the bail was paid.
Former Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk, ex-President's Office head Andriy Yermak, and Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov, who are implicated in the scandal, have not been charged. Umerov was questioned, and NABU conducted searches at Yermak's premises.
