Ukraine president also calls for sanctions against friend and former business partner, saying ‘there must be maximum integrity’
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has moved to contain growing public outrage in Ukraine over a corruption scandal in the energy sector by firing two ministers who are accused of involvement in a large-scale bribery scheme.
Ukraine’s president said the pair – justice minister Herman Halushchenko and energy minister Svitlana Grynchuk – could no longer remain in their jobs. He also called for personal sanctions against his friend and former business partner Timur Mindich, the scheme’s alleged organiser.
Acknowledging popular anger, Zelenskyy said: “There must be maximum integrity in the energy sector, in absolutely all processes. I support every investigation carried out by law enforcement and anti-corruption officials. This is an absolutely clear and consistent position for everyone.”
Promising accountability for those who break the law, he added: “Right now, it is extremely difficult for everyone in Ukraine – enduring power outages, Russian strikes and losses. It is absolutely unacceptable that, amid all this, there are also some [corruption] schemes in the energy sector.”
