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Former Ukrainian energy minister and former justice minister, Herman Halushchenko, who resigned last November amid a large-scale corruption scandal, was detained on Sunday while trying to cross the Ukrainian border, according to a statement by the country’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU).
“Today during the crossing of the state border, NABU detectives detained the former minister of energy in the framework of the case ‘Midas’,” said the statement.
“The department will continue priority investigative actions carried out in accordance with the requirements of the law. Details will follow,” the statement added.
Halushchenko’s name was not explicitly mentioned in the statement, but the Ukrainian media do not doubt that it is him in question, as he was one of the main names implicated in the corruption scandal, and resigned following widespread outrage.
According to Verkhovna Rada MP Oleksiy Honcharenko of the European Solidarity faction, the former minister has already been served with a notice of suspicion of committing a crime.
Halushchenko was one of several ministers who resigned in 2025 after NABU uncovered a large-scale corruption scheme to embezzle funds in the country’s energy sector, which investigators believe was organised by an associate of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The agency said the conspirators organised a $100 million (€84.2 million) kickback scheme to withdraw funds, causing public outrage during a period of widespread and routine power cuts caused by Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities.
Investigators said that Halushchenko received “personal benefit” as a result of these illegal transactions.
In November, NABU searched the homes of Halushchenko, who was then justice minister, and businessman Timur Mindich, a close ally of Zelenskyy’s. Mindich fled abroad a few hours before the search warrants were executed.
Later, searches were also carried out on the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, who later resigned from his post.
Ukraine has long been plagued by corruption within its political ranks. The fight against corruption is one of the most important conditions laid out by the European Union for Kyiv’s membership bid.