Meeting between Yermak and Witkoff cancelled over corruption scandal in Ukraine – The Economist
The Economist journalist Oliver Carroll has reported the cancellation of a planned meeting between Trump’s special representative Steve Witkoff and the head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak.
This was reported by journalist and political strategist Viktor Ukolov, Censor.NET notes.
MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak remarked that Yermak might not return to Ukraine at all, hinting at the political and investigative consequences of this situation.
"And who will tell NABU about the forty bandits? I think all members of Ali Baba’s gang now have the opportunity to strike a deal with investigators and spill everything. But this will only be possible for the first of them, the rat race has begun!" Ukolov writes.
Background
Zelenskyy said he would visit Turkey on 19 November to "step up" negotiations.
According to Reuters, on 19 November, Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with Trump's special representative Steve Witkoff in Turkey for negotiations.
Mindichgate
- 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.
- Earlier, Ihor Myroniuk and Energoatom’s executive director for security, Dmytro Basov, featured on the NABU tapes under the alias "Tenor", were remanded in custody for 60 days.
- Another suspect, Lesia Ustymenko, was also placed in pre-trial detention for 60 days.
- The High Anti-Corruption Court has ruled on a preventive measure for Ihor Fursenko, a suspect in an energy-sector corruption case (known on the NABU tapes as "Roshyk").
- On 13 November, the High Anti-Corruption Court arrested Liudmyla Zorina, with bail set at 12 million hryvnia.
- Zelenskyy imposed sanctions against Mindich and Tsukerman.
