Ukraine's top anti-corruption officials have explicitly stated that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not a subject of a major graft investigation that has ensnared his former chief of staff, Andriy Yermak. The case, which involves allegations of laundering around €9 million through a luxury property development near Kyiv, has drawn intense public scrutiny.
Oleksandr Klymenko, head of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), told reporters on Tuesday that Zelenskyy "has not been and is not currently involved in the investigation." The probe, conducted jointly by SAPO and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), centres on Yermak, former deputy prime minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, and Timur Mindich, a former business partner of the president.
The suspects are accused of channelling illicit funds between 2021 and 2025 through a high-end residential project in the village of Kozyn, a wealthy suburb south of Kyiv. Part of the money is alleged to have originated from corruption schemes involving Ukraine's state nuclear power company, Enerhoatom. According to NABU, officials and managers of the strategic enterprise collected bribes equivalent to 10–15% of each contract's value from contractors building fortifications against Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. The alleged total laundered through this scheme reached around €85 million.
Yermak's Court Appearance and Bail Request
Anti-corruption prosecutors are now seeking pre-trial detention for Yermak, who resigned from his post in November 2025 after NABU searched premises linked to him in a separate corruption case. A court hearing in Kyiv began on Tuesday afternoon, but consideration of the preventive measure was postponed to allow the defence to review the case materials, which comprise 16 volumes of roughly 250 pages each—totalling about 4,000 pages.
Klymenko stated that the prosecution will request detention with an alternative bail of UAH 180 million (approximately €3.5 million). Prosecutors also asked for the examination of evidence to be held behind closed doors, despite significant public interest and the live broadcast of the proceedings. Dozens of journalists attended the courtroom.
Yermak's lawyer, Ihor Fomin, has dismissed the case as "unfounded." In an interview with Ukraine's public broadcaster Suspline, Fomin said: "As far as I'm concerned, this whole situation has been provoked by public pressure. In my entire career, I have never encountered such pressure, including pressure on law enforcement agencies, to have Mr Yermak served with a notice of suspicion. In my view there are simply no grounds to bring any criminal allegations against him, nor can there be."
The investigation has been closely watched across Europe, as Ukraine continues to pursue anti-corruption reforms required for its EU accession process. The case echoes broader concerns about graft in the region, similar to the EU's clearance of Hungarian Commissioner Várhelyi in a separate spying probe, which also tested institutional credibility.
Under Ukrainian law, a sitting president enjoys immunity from prosecution, a fact that has fuelled speculation about the political dimensions of the case. However, Klymenko's clear statement that Zelenskyy is not a target appears aimed at dispelling such rumours.
The alleged ringleader of the graft scheme, Timur Mindich, was named by investigators as a central figure in the Enerhoatom bribery network. The timing of the alleged crimes—during Russia's relentless bombardments of Ukraine's energy grid, which caused widespread blackouts—has added a layer of moral outrage to the legal proceedings.
As the court prepares to rule on Yermak's preventive measure, the case underscores the delicate balance Ukraine must strike between demonstrating judicial independence and maintaining political stability. The outcome will be closely watched in Brussels and other European capitals, where Ukraine's anti-corruption track record remains a key benchmark for further integration.
