Operation "Midas": criminal organisation operating in energy sector exposed, five detained, businessman notified of suspicion, - NABU

NABU and SAPO exposed the activities of a criminal organisation, which included current and former officials in the energy sector, a well-known businessman in media, and other individuals.

This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to the NABU press centre.

As noted, its members have built a large-scale corruption scheme to influence the activities of strategic enterprises in the public sector, in particular JSC "NNEGC "Energoatom", to obtain unlawful benefits and launder funds.

Who has already been detained?

Currently, in accordance with Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, detectives have detained five people and notified seven members of the group of their suspicion, including:

businessman - head of a criminal organisation (according to media reports, this refers to businessman and co-owner of "Kvartal-95" Timur Mindich);
former advisor to the Minister of Energy (Ihor Myroniuk);
executive director of physical protection and security at JSC "NNEGC "Energoatom";
four individuals - back office "employees" involved in money laundering.

The issue of applying to the court for preventive measures is being decided.

Scheme

According to NABU, the main activity of the criminal organisation was the systematic receipt of illegal benefits from Energoatom's contractors in the amount of 10% to 15% of the contract value.

"In particular, Energoatom's contractors were forced to pay kickbacks to avoid blocking payments for services rendered/products supplied or losing their supplier status. This practice was called "barrier," the statement said.

To implement the scheme, the head of the criminal organisation enlisted the help of the former deputy head of the State Property Fund, who later became an advisor to the Minister of Energy, as well as a former law enforcement officer who held the position of executive director of physical protection and security at the company.

Using their official connections in the ministry and the state-owned company, they ensured control over personnel decisions, procurement processes and the movement of financial flows.

In fact, the management of a strategic enterprise with an annual income of over UAH 200 billion was carried out not by official officials, but by outsiders who had no formal authority but took on the role of "overseers".

Legalisation

It is also noted that the function of legalising illegally obtained funds was entrusted to a separate office of the criminal organisation located in the centre of Kyiv.

"The premises belonged to the family of former People's Deputy and current Russian Senator Andrii Derkach, who is accused by NABU and SAPO in another criminal proceeding.

This office kept strict records of the funds received, kept "black ledger" and organised money laundering through a network of non-resident companies. A significant part of the operations, in particular the cash withdrawal, was carried out outside Ukraine," the NABU explained.

For providing services to non-members of the criminal organisation, the office received payment in the form of a percentage of the amounts processed.

In total, approximately $100 million passed through the so-called "laundromat" during the period their activities were documented.

Operation

The special operation to document the activities of the criminal organisation lasted more than 15 months, starting in the summer of 2024. During this time, a large amount of data was collected and thousands of hours of audio recordings were obtained.

At the final stage, almost the entire staff of detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau was involved in the operation.

Following court orders, more than 70 searches were conducted in Kyiv and other regions, and a significant amount of documents and cash were seized.

NABU detectives and SAPO prosecutors continue to identify other members of the criminal organisation.

The investigation is ongoing.

What preceded this?

Earlier, Censor.NET reported that NABU was conducting searches at Mindich's residence, who left Ukraine a few hours before the searches.
As reported, on Tuesday, 4 November, searches were conducted in one of the branches of the separate divisions of NNEGC "Energoatom" in connection with a corruption case.
The NABU is also conducting searches at the home of former Energy Minister Halushchenko and at "Energoatom".
The NABU and the SAPO announced a large-scale operation to expose corruption in the energy sector.
Current Minister of Energy Svitlana Hrynchuk appears on recordings obtained by NABU as part of its investigation into corruption in the energy sector.
Later, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau uncovered an office in central Kyiv belonging to the family of former MP and current Russian senator Andrii Derkach, where a "black ledger" was kept, cash was tracked, and money-laundering operations were organized.