Zelensky's chief of staff raided in corruption scandal

TT

Updated 12.22 | Published 08.15

 

The Ukrainian president's chief of staff Andriy Yermak in a photo taken earlier this year. Photo: Ludovic Marin/AP/TT

The Ukrainian corruption scandal is creeping closer to Volodymyr Zelensky after the raid on the chief of staff and chief negotiator Andriy Yermak.

- Many are disappointed and wondering what is going on, says Ukraine expert Fredrik Wesslau to TT.

Ukraine's anti-corruption agency Nabu and the specialized anti-corruption prosecutor's office Sapo searched Andriy Yermak's residence in Kiev's government district on Friday, according to a statement.

The raid is said to be linked to the corruption scandal in the Ukrainian energy sector that has forced the removal of both the country's justice minister and energy minister.

Weakens Zelensky

Andriy Yermak, one of Zelenskyy's closest men, has been chief of staff since 2020 and a key position in the peace negotiations with the US.

- It is a big problem for Zelenskyy that someone in his inner circle is being investigated. It weakens him domestically, of course, says Fredrik Wesslau, a researcher at the Center for East European Studies, adding:

- This particular corruption scandal, which is linked to the energy companies, is extra sensitive because Russia is trying to knock out the energy infrastructure and people are living without electricity and heat.

Yermak himself writes on social media that "full cooperation" applies from his side.

"The investigators are not encountering any obstacles. They were given full access to the apartment," he writes, adding that his lawyers are "cooperating with the police."

Could put more pressure

The latest developments "help Ukraine's enemies" and could spill over into the peace negotiations, points out Fredrik Wesslau.

– The question is whether he (Yermak) can continue in the delegation, he says.

– For the US, this is an opportunity to put even more pressure on Zelenskyj and get him to accept a bad deal in the negotiations. Russia can use it to question Zelenskyj's legitimacy and the entire Ukrainian state.

Even those countries within the EU that want to strangle support for Ukraine can take advantage of the situation.

– Like Orbán, for example, who can point to this and ask why the EU should support Ukraine if there is corruption. So it is also a problem for international support, says Fredrik Wesslau, referring to the Hungarian Prime Minister.

As recently as this summer, Zelenskyj's government planned to limit the independence of Nabu and Sapo. But after widespread protests, the government backed down.

Against this background, according to Wesslau, the crackdown on Yermak can also be seen as a sign that "the anti-corruption agencies are working and dare to investigate people at the very highest level".

FACTS

The corruption scandal in Ukraine

The corruption scandal exploded in mid-November, when the anti-corruption agency Nabu's investigation showed that the equivalent of around one billion kronor had passed through a money laundering system linked to the energy sector.

Some 70 raids have been carried out after a 15-month investigation into the affair.

Both Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk have been forced to resign. A number of other high-ranking officials close to President Volodymyr Zelensky have been sanctioned – among them the alleged mastermind, businessman Timur Mindich, who fled Ukraine hours before Nabu was to raid his apartment.