NABU says Umerov is not currently suspect in Mindich case
National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, who previously served as defense minister, has not been served with a notice of suspicion in the energy-sector corruption case known as "Midas".
NABU Director Semen Kryvonos said this during a Temporary Investigative Commission (TIC) meeting, Censor.NET reports.
Umerov
"The very fact of suspicion regarding influence on him does not indicate the elements of a crime in his actions. As for other episodes, we are conducting a pre-trial investigation. At present, Umerov does not have the status of a suspect or an accused in the specified criminal proceedings," Kryvonos said.
NABU detective Oleksandr Abakumov, who attended the TIC meeting, said the investigation is acting within the procedural time limit, which is 12 months.
"We are taking all necessary investigative actions to objectively and fully investigate these criminal proceedings and reach a logical conclusion, whether there are no elements of a crime or there are elements of a crime in the actions of specific individuals whose actions we are investigating," he stressed.
As Abakumov noted, at this stage, given the ongoing investigation, "it is premature to make public conclusions or political assessments."
Searches related to Yermak
In addition, Kryvonos said that the items seized during searches at former Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak’s have been placed under seizure. The materials include certain digital storage devices.
At the same time, he declined to answer whether Yermak had been questioned, citing the secrecy of the pre-trial investigation.
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.
