Ukraine’s former Vitality Minister named suspect in laundering probe

Ukraine’s former Vitality Minister, German Galushchenko, has been formally named as a suspect in a high-profile cash laundering probe, investigators stated Monday (February 16, 2026).

The announcement comes at some point after Mr. Galushchenko was detained by regulation enforcement making an attempt to depart Ukraine, and is the newest growth in a corruption scandal within the power sector that rocked the federal government final 12 months.

“The previous Vitality Minister (2021-2025) has been uncovered for cash laundering and participation in a felony organisation,” the Nationwide Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) stated in a press release.

The assertion didn’t title Mr. Galushchenko, however he served because the nation’s Vitality Minister between 2021 and 2025. The fees carry sentences of as much as 15 years in jail, in accordance Ukraine’s felony code.

Mr. Galushchenko was accused in November of collaborating in a $100-million kickback scheme from contractors constructing fortifications to defend power infrastructure towards Russian assaults. Investigators now allege they discovered roughly $12 million in financial institution accounts linked to Mr. Galushchenko’s household.

He stated in November that he would “defend himself in courtroom,” as he was suspended from his submit. He was one among a number of high-profile political figures who resigned within the wake of the scandal, with investigators alleging the scheme additionally implicated an in depth ally of President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Mr. Zelensky swept to energy in 2019, vowing to stamp out corruption among the many political elite. His authorities handed some reforms, however has additionally confronted a number of embarrassing graft scandals, together with throughout the Defence Ministry. The European Union is urging sweeping reforms to stamp out corruption as a part of calls for for Ukrainian membership to the bloc.