What to know about the corruption probe involving Zelenskyy's ex-chief of staff

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s former chief of staff has been named by two Ukrainian anti-corruption watchdogs as a suspect in a major graft probe, bringing the man who once wielded enormous influence in the country’s wartime planning under direct scrutiny.Andrii Yermak is officially suspected of taking part in an alleged 460-million hryvnia ($10.5 million) money-laundering scheme, according to Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. They said that the Ukrainian leader is not under suspicion in the case.The move is a step short of formally charging Yermak, who resigned in November. He was the country ’s lead negotiator in talks with the U.S and left during the scandal that brought the biggest threat to Zelenskyy’s government since the Russian invasion.

Yermak remains a deeply controversial political figure in Ukraine. As the head of Zelenskyy’s office he played a central role in the presidential administration, managing relationships with the U.S. and other Western countries, and even developed possible scenarios for a ceasefire with Russia.

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