From Maidan cases to ’schematism’ at ’Energoatom’: how former prosecutor Basov (’Tenor’) sabotaged investigations for years and became figure in Mindich’s tapes
Dmytro Basov, a former prosecutor with 20 years’ experience who, during Yuriy Lutsenko’s tenure, led key investigations into Yanukovych and the crimes committed on Maidan, has emerged as a central figure in a corruption ring operating within Energoatom. According to Censor.NET, citing an investigation by Daria Kaleniuk, executive director of the Anti-Corruption Action Centre (ACAC), Basov appears in NABU recordings under the pseudonym ‘Tenor’.
Leak of Maidan cases and protection of torturers
According to the ACC, in 2014 Basov was an investigator in the case of SSU Major General Oleksandr Shcheholev, who is accused of organising the storming of the Trade Union House. Basov not only dragged out the investigation but also effectively blocked the SSU’s internal inquiry into Shcheholev, corroborating the general’s fabricated testimony. As a result, Shchegolev managed to avoid real punishment and fled to the occupied territories after the start of the full-scale invasion.
A similar fate befell the investigation into the economic crimes of the Yanukovych "family". In 2016, a special department was set up under Basov within the Prosecutor General’s Office, yet in three years not a single major case has reached court.
Kickbacks were ‘extorted’ from the prosecutor
After leaving the prosecutor’s office in 2019, Basov resurfaced at Energoatom as head of internal security. According to the NABU and the SAPO, it was he who acted as Tymur Mindich’s henchman in the kickback extortion scheme. Under the pseudonym "Tenor", he blocked payments to contractors, demanding a 10–15% bribe to resume payments.
The Russian trail and the "talent factory"
The investigation points to Basov’s close ties with the network of FSB agent Andriy Derkach. The money collected by "Tenor" was transferred via intermediaries to a "back office" located in Derkach’s flat.
The CPC emphasises that Basov’s case is a striking example of the lack of reform in the prosecutor’s office. Basov’s protégés, such as prosecutor Oleksandr Ganilov, still hold high-ranking positions and are being used by the current leadership of the Prosecutor General’s Office to attack independent anti-corruption bodies (NABU and SAPO).
