Ukrainian minister implicated in nuclear power corruption scandal suspended
Herman Halushchenko, who is implicated in a corruption scandal at state nuclear power company Energoatom, has been suspended from the job of justice minister, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Nov. 12.
Halushchenko is being investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) as part of a large-scale corruption case into Energoatom involving Timur Mindich, a close associate of President Volodymyr Zelensky. He has not been officially charged yet.
An extraordinary meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers has suspended Halushchenko and appointed Lyudmila Suhak, deputy justice minister for European integration, as acting justice minister, Svyrydenko said on Telegram.
Halushchenko said on Facebook on Nov. 12 that he had spoken with Svyrydenko.
"I fully agree: a political decision needs to be made first, and only then should we deal with all the details," he added. “I am not clinging to the position of minister and will not cling to it. I believe that suspension during the investigation is a civilized and proper course of action. I will defend myself in the legal domain and prove my position.”
Halushchenko was energy minister from 2021 to 2025 and was appointed justice minister in July.
Halushchenko, who is sometimes identified as "energy minister" and sometimes by the code name "Professor," features in audio recordings published by the NABU as part of the Energoatom investigation.
Anti-corruption prosecutor Serhiy Savytskyi said at a court hearing on Nov. 11 that Mindich had allegedly committed his crimes by unlawfully influencing Halushchenko.
In the tapes, there is a conversation between Mindich and Halushchenko.
Mindich also discusses receiving money from another suspect, Oleksandr Tsukerman, in the recordings. The Anti-Corruption Bureau said that the conversation took place after Halushchenko visited the President's Office.
Ihor Myroniuk, who has also been charged in the case, is a former advisor to Halushchenko.
