Both were also charged with corruption but denied the allegations last year.
Amid the same snowballing corruption probe, Zelenskyy fired Yermak, his long-time close associate and top foreign policy negotiator, last November on the same day NABU searched Yermak’s office. Zelenskyy thanked Yermak for his work, but said he had to let him go as he wanted “to avoid any speculations.”
According to NABU, the members of the alleged crime group laundered state funds, including from Energoatom, through luxury real estate investments.
Yermak did not immediately respond to a request for a comment. Speaking to journalists in Kyiv on Monday he said: “When the investigation is over, I will give comments. I have no mansions, I have only a flat and a car that you see.”
Zelenskyy has remained silent on the alleged involvement of some of his closest associates in the corruption case.
Last summer, as NABU was preparing to announce its first charges, the Ukrainian parliament abruptly voted to strip NABU and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s office of their independence, with Zelenskyy signing the bill into law the same day. The step sparked nationwide protests and forced the Ukrainian government to retract the decision.
“Investigation is still ongoing, so it is too early to make any assessments,” Dmytro Lytvyn, Zelenskyy’s top advisor, told journalists via a WhatsApp chat on Monday.