Former Ukrainian presidential aide Yermak under investigation by anti-corruption bodies
Photo: Andriy Yermak, former head of the Presidential Office (president.gov.ua)
Today, May 11, a former head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine was formally notified of suspicion in a money laundering case linked to an elite construction project near Kyiv, according to the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) and a law enforcement source.
The source told RBC-Ukraine that the person in question is former Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak.
"NABU and SAPO exposed an organized group involved in a 460 million-hryvnia laundering scheme linked to elite construction near Kyiv. One of its participants — a former head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine — has been formally notified of suspicion," the statement said.
The suspicion was issued under Part 3 of Article 209 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code (legalization or laundering of property obtained through criminal activity). The charge carries a sentence of 8 to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
Urgent investigative actions are currently underway.
What preceded this
Earlier today, May 11, NABU and SAPO carried out investigative actions involving former Presidential Office chief Andriy Yermak.
The reason for the actions was not officially disclosed. However, law enforcement officers conducted searches linked to the high-profile Midas case at Yermak’s properties in November last year. He was dismissed from the position of the Presidential Office head on the same day.
The Midas case
Last year, NABU uncovered a corruption scheme at Energoatom. According to investigators, the suspects demanded kickbacks amounting to 10–15% of contract values from the company’s contractors.
Amid the investigation, media reports suggested that then-Presidential Office chief Andriy Yermak could be one of the figures involved.
Yermak is known to appear in the so-called Mindich tapes and is suspected of involvement in a large-scale corruption scheme in the energy sector. As the case gained public attention, the code names used by the suspects also began to emerge.
At first, reports claimed that the former Presidential Office chief appeared in the recordings under the alias Ali Baba, but later a detective in the case said Yermak’s codename was Surgeon.
