BREAKING: Zelensky's chief of staff Yermak resigns amid Ukraine's biggest corruption scandal
Editor's note: This story is being updated.
Andriy Yermak, head of the President's Office, submitted his resignation following searches by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) at his premises earlier on Nov. 28, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced.
Yermak is being investigated by the NABU in a case involving state nuclear power monopoly Energoatom, the biggest corruption investigation during Zelensky's presidency. Eight suspects have been charged in the Energoatom case, and Timur Mindich, a close associate of the president, is allegedly the ringleader.
"There will be a reset of the President's Office," Zelensky said in a statement. "Andriy Yermak, the head of the President’s Office, has submitted his resignation. I am grateful to Andriy for always presenting Ukraine’s position in the negotiation track exactly as it needed to be."
Zelensky said he wanted to "avoid rumors and speculation."
"As for the new head of the (President's) Office, tomorrow I will hold consultations with those who could lead this institution," he added.
Zelensky also commented on who would represent Ukraine instead of Yermak, who was appointed to lead a Ukrainian delegation in the U.S.-Ukraine talks in Switzerland on Nov. 23.
He said that the Ukrainian delegation in the peace talks would include the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, the head of the General Staff, and Foreign Ministry and intelligence officials.
Rustem Umerov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, is also under investigation in the Energoatom corruption case but has not been charged so far.
Two other officials implicated in the corruption scandal, Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk, were fired on Nov. 19. They have not been charged yet.
Zelensky said that he expected new energy and justice ministers to be appointed soon.
"The current ministers must be assessed in a way that allows for clear conclusions about whether they are capable of meeting the challenges of both this winter and this war," he added.
Ukrainska Pravda reported on Nov. 24, citing its sources, that Yermak is implicated in the corruption scandal, and investigators refer to him as "Ali Baba."
Ukraine's chief anti-corruption prosecutor Oleksandr Klymenko said earlier in November that, according to investigators, "Ali Baba is holding meetings and assigning tasks to law enforcement agencies to ensure they persecute NABU detectives and anti-corruption prosecutors."
One of the luxury houses near Kyiv financed through the Energoatom corruption scheme was meant for Yermak, a law enforcement source told the Kyiv Independent.
Yermak has not commented on the reports. The President's Office did not respond to requests for comment.
Despite the backlash, Zelensky refused to dismiss Yermak. Instead, he tapped him to lead a Ukrainian delegation at the Nov. 23 Switzerland talks with the U.S. after President Donald Trump unveiled a controversial peace plan heavily skewed in Russia's favor.
Appointed in 2020, Yermak has gathered unprecedented influence within the Ukrainian government. Despite long-standing criticism, Zelensky said he trusted Yermak and dismissed claims that the latter wielded excessive power.
"Yermak is a powerful manager. I respect him for his results. He does what I tell him to do, and he carries out these tasks," Zelensky said in an interview with Bloomberg last year.
"He came with me, he will leave with me. And he will not remain in any positions," the president said in 2021.
