Andriy Yermak Faces $10.5 Million Corruption Accusation in Ukraine's Operation Midas
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 11
Andriy Yermak Faces $10.5 Million Corruption Accusation in Ukraine's Operation Midas
5 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 11
Ukraine's anti-graft agencies served former presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak a notice of suspicion over a 460 million hryvnia ($10.5 million) scheme tied to luxury construction near Kyiv.
NABU and SAPO said the case centers on an organized group that laundered funds through the project, marking a formal step toward charges after investigators carried out new actions involving Yermak on Monday.
The move deepens a scandal that erupted in November with allegations that officials embezzled $100 million from state nuclear company Energoatom, a crisis that already forced the resignations of the energy and justice ministers.
Yermak quit as Zelensky's chief of staff after investigators searched his apartment last year, and the latest accusation renews pressure on the president as several former allies have been linked to Operation Midas.
The inquiry has unsettled foreign backers funding Ukraine's war effort; Zelensky says corrupt officials should be punished, while his adviser Dmytro Lytvyn said it was too early to judge because procedural steps were still underway.
As Zelenskyy's ex-aide faces laundering charges, is billions in crucial EU aid now on the line?
A top aide's case is part of a $100M scheme. How deep does the 'Operation Midas' corruption network run?