Corruption in energy sector: back-office employee Ustymenko, involved in money laundering, taken into custody
On November 12, the High Anti-Corruption Court ruled on a preventive measure for Lesia Ustymenko, suspected of involvement in a corruption scheme involving the embezzlement of funds from Energoatom.
Censor.NET reported this, citing the Anti-Corruption Action Center.
Court ruling
The court placed the suspect in custody for 60 days with an alternative bail set at UAH 25 million.
According to investigators, Ustymenko, together with other participants — Ihor Fursenko (known as Roshyk), former adviser to the energy minister Ihor Myroniuk (Rocket), and Liudmyla Zorina — was involved in laundering funds, including through cryptocurrency and cash-based schemes.
The prosecution claims that more than UAH 145 million was laundered with her participation, and correspondence between the suspects included coded references such as "blue" and "beautiful ones."
Ustymenko’s defense requested a softer preventive measure, arguing that neither she nor her husband have been employed since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
It was also noted that Ustymenko’s husband holds Russian citizenship and had regularly traveled to Russia until 2015.
Background
- 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.
- On 11 November, NABU released recordings featuring Minister Halushchenko and Mindich.
- Chernyshova has been served with a notice of suspicion of illicit enrichment under Operation "Midas."
- One of the suspects, Dmytro Basov, was remanded in custody with bail set at UAH 40 million.
- Halushchenko's former adviser Myroniuk was remanded in custody with bail set at UAH 126 million.
- The Cabinet of Ministers has submitted proposals to the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) to impose personal sanctions against Tymur Mindich and Oleksandr Tsukerman following an NABU investigation into corruption in the energy sector.
