Key facts
- Ukrainian investigators are probing a money laundering scheme involving top officials.
- The scheme allegedly laundered Hr 150 million ($3.4 million) to post bail for former Justice and Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko.
- Key figures charged include former presidential Deputy Chief of Staff Iryna Mudra and lawmaker Vadym Stolar.
- Sense Bank is accused of being used as a channel for transferring funds.
- The investigation follows a probe into the state nuclear power monopoly Energoatom.
Ukrainian investigators have uncovered a scheme allegedly involving top officials, including a deputy chief of staff to President Volodymyr Zelensky, to launder approximately $3.4 million. The funds were reportedly transferred through the state-owned Sense Bank to post bail for former Justice and Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko.
Audio tapes released by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) implicate former presidential Deputy Chief of Staff Iryna Mudra and Member of Parliament Vadym Stolar in the alleged money laundering operation. Mudra has been formally charged by the NABU, while Stolar has stated his full cooperation with investigators.
The investigation also involves former Member of Parliament Maksym Mykytas and top executives at Sense Bank, including its CEO Oleksiy Stupak and supervisory board head Mykola Hladyshchenko. The NABU described the operation as exposing a criminal organization led by current and former lawmakers and involving senior officials from the President's Office.
This probe follows a significant corruption investigation into the state nuclear power monopoly Energoatom, where Halushchenko faces separate charges of money laundering and organized crime. The NABU's actions also come after recent corruption charges against Zelensky's former Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak and former Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna.
According to leaked search warrants, Mudra was allegedly tasked with arranging the funds for Halushchenko's bail and was also involved in discussions about bringing Sense Bank under the control of the President's Office. Tapes suggest conversations about circumventing regulatory blocks and potential payments for the bail, with references to influencing the selection of the NABU's oversight board and replacing the Chief Anti-Corruption Prosecutor.