Ukrainian energy official caught in massive bribery scandal
11:49 AM EDT, August 12, 2024
The Deputy Minister of Energy of Ukraine was detained in Kyiv for accepting a $500,000 bribe. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) reported the matter on Monday.
"SBU and NABU, with the support of the Minister of Energy of Ukraine, uncovered a large-scale corruption scheme organized by his deputy. As a result of comprehensive measures, the deputy minister of energy was detained in Kyiv in connection with a bribe of half a million dollars," SBU announced in a statement.
According to media reports, the detainee is one of the deputies of Minister Herman Halushchenko, Oleksandr Kheilo.
Deputy minister detained. Promised mining equipment
"For this amount, the official, using his authority, promised the heads of state enterprises in the Lviv-Volyn coal basin to provide mining equipment from the mines at the front line in the Donetsk region," SBU explained.
The service revealed that the management of the mines in the Lviv-Volyn basin approached the Ministry of Energy in the spring with a request to evacuate specialized equipment from the mines around Pokrovs'k in the Donetsk region. Today, it is one of the hottest front-line sections.
"The detained official, responsible for saving mining equipment, began to demand money for its removal," SBU reported.
Three other individuals involved in the case were detained with the deputy minister. The suspects face up to 12 years in prison along with the confiscation of property.
