Ukraine suspends justice minister amid energy corruption probe

Ukraine's government on Wednesday suspended Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko amid a $100 million corruption probe into the country's energy sector.

"This morning, we held an extraordinary government meeting. We made a decision to suspend Herman Halushchenko from performing the duties of minister of justice," Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko wrote on US social media company X.

Svyrydenko added that Deputy Justice Minister for European Integration Liudmyla Sugak was assigned the duties of justice minister to

Commenting on the decision, Halushchenko, who served as energy minister before assuming his current post in July, agreed with the decision, saying he will legally defend himself and prove his position.

"A political decision needs to be made, and only then deal with all the details. I do not hold on to the position of minister and will not hold on. I believe that suspension (of my duties) for the duration of the investigation is a civilized and correct scenario," he said on Facebook.

Ukraine launched a "large-scale operation" into the energy sector on Monday to uncover graft involving what the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) described as a "high-level criminal organization" seeking to influence strategic state enterprises, particularly national nuclear energy provider Energoatom.

NABU said its investigation involved 15 months of work and 1,000 hours of audio recordings, and that members of the "criminal organization" allegedly demanded illegal benefits to the tune of 10% to 15% of a state contract value.

The agency said on Tuesday that its detectives detained five people and sent notes of suspicion to seven individuals as the investigation, which uncovered that $100 million had passed through the scheme, continued.

The Justice Ministry confirmed Halushchenko was subject to the probe, and that he shall provide full assistance to law enforcement agencies in ensuring a "comprehensive, objective and impartial investigation."

"The Ministry of Justice consistently adheres to the principle of zero tolerance for corruption. If found guilty, individuals must be held accountable in accordance with the procedure established by the court," it said.

The investigation comes just four months after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reinstated the independence of the country's two major anti-corruption agencies.

Zelenskyy had signed measures into law that brought NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) under the oversight of the prosecutor general. He, however, reversed the measures after major protests, including in Kyiv.

A crackdown on corruption is critical if Ukraine hopes to advance its application to join the 27-member European Union, which formally opened accession negotiations with Kyiv on June 25, 2024.

Critics say Kyiv has long suffered from widespread corruption, and the ongoing war with Russia is said to have overshadowed efforts to stamp out graft.