Key facts
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired Iryna Mudra, deputy head of his office.
- The dismissal followed searches of Mudra's workplace by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU).
- NABU is investigating an alleged criminal organization involving current and former officials.
- The group is accused of laundering approximately $3 million to fund bail for a former minister.
- NABU released recordings of a woman identified as a deputy head of the president's office discussing corruption.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed Iryna Mudra, the deputy head of his office, following an anti-corruption raid. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) conducted searches at Mudra's workplace as part of "Operation Forrest Gump," an investigation into an alleged criminal organization involving current and former lawmakers and senior officials.
The bureau stated that the group is accused of laundering approximately 150 million Ukrainian hryvnia, equivalent to about $3 million, through state-owned Sense Bank. These funds were allegedly used to post bail for former Energy Minister German Galushchenko, a figure in a past corruption scandal.
While NABU did not name Mudra directly in its public statement, referring only to a deputy head of the president's administration, searches were carried out at her office. Recordings released by the watchdog featured a woman identified as a deputy head of the president's office suggesting that corruption should be systematized and controlled.
Mudra's dismissal adds to a period of political turbulence for Zelenskyy, with former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov recently calling for wartime elections and denouncing corruption and a systemic governance crisis.