KIEV, Feb 15 – A former energy minister in Ukraine has been detained while attempting to leave the country, authorities have said.
German Galushchenko, who was forced out of his government role last year after being among officials named in a corruption scandal, was reportedly apprehended while on a train leaving Ukraine. It is unclear where he intended to travel to.
He was one of several government figures implicated in an alleged $100m (£75m) embezzlement scheme in November.
The scandal threatened to engulf Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration, which swept to power before Russia’s full-scale invasion on the promise to root out corruption.
Zelensky’s chief-of-staff Andriy Yermak – his closest adviser throughout the war – resigned after his home was searched. Neither the president nor Yermak have been accused of any wrongdoing.
The scandal has, however, increased pressure from the US to hold elections, which have been suspended since the start of the war in 2022 due to provisions in Ukraine’s constitution.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (Nabu) said in a statement on Sunday that its detectives had detained the former energy minister “while crossing the state border”, as part of the Midas case.
It did not name Galushchenko explicitly, but he has been named by several prominent Ukrainian media organisations.
Galushchenko was briefly justice minister, a post he held when he was told by Zelensky to resign in November, having served as energy minister for three years prior to that. His successor, Svitlana Hrynchuk, also resigned after being implicated in the scandal.
Nabu gave no further details on Galuschenko’s detention, but said it would provide updates in due course.
Radio Free Europe reports that he was being transported to Kyiv for further questioning, after border guards were told to alert the authorities if he attempted to flee.
