Ukraine's court eases restrictions on ex-minister charged in major corruption case

Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court on Oct. 22 allowed Herman Halushchenko, a former justice minister implicated in a major graft case, to remove his electronic monitoring bracelet.

The news comes months after Halushchenko was released from custody on bail of Hr 150 million ($3.4 million) in the summer. He had been held in pretrial detention since Feb. 17.

The court has not elaborated on why it allowed Halushchenko to remove his electronic monitoring bracelet.

It extended his other obligations for two months, including reporting a change of residence, not leaving Kyiv without permission, not contacting other suspects, and handing in his foreign passports.

Halushchenko was charged by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) as part of last year's probe into state nuclear energy monopoly Energoatom — the largest corruption investigation of Zelensky’s tenure.

He 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.

Halushchenko was detained on Feb. 15  while attempting to cross Ukraine's border. A prosecutor from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) asked the court to remand him in custody, including over concerns that he might flee abroad.

The official has denied any wrongdoing and said he had no intention of fleeing Ukraine.

Halushchenko spent more than four months in pretrial detention as efforts to raise bail money continued. The fundraising later became part of another corruption scandal that hit the President's Office in August.

Iryna Mudra, then deputy head of the President's Office, and several other officials were charged with laundering Hr 150 million ($3.4 million) and transferring the funds through state-owned Sense Bank to post bail for Halushchenko.

Anti-corruption agencies asked the court to seize the Hr 150 million posted as bail for former minister Halushchenko, SAPO chief Oleksandr Klymenko said.

According to Klymenko, if the court approves the request, Halushchenko would be considered not to have paid bail and could be returned to custody.

The money could be transferred to Ukraine's Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA), he added.

In a similar decision in September, the court allowed Andriy Yermak, former head of the President's Office, to remove his electronic monitoring bracelet for medical reasons.