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Journalism of Courage
This is an archive article published on August 12, 2024
Ukraine detains deputy energy minister in $500,000 bribery scandal
The Prosecutor General’s Office revealed that the suspects were caught "red-handed" while receiving a portion of the $500,000 bribe.
A high-ranking official from a state-owned coal company, along with two middlemen, have been arrested for their alleged involvement in a bribery scheme. (Reuters)
Ukrainian authorities have arrested one of the country’s four deputy energy ministers, along with three other suspects, in connection with a $500,000 bribery scheme, according to state prosecutors and anti-corruption police on Monday.
This latest high-profile arrest is part of Ukraine’s intensified efforts to combat official corruption, a crucial step in its bid to join the European Union, which has emphasized anti-graft measures.
The Prosecutor General’s Office revealed that the suspects were caught “red-handed” while receiving a portion of the $500,000 bribe, according to a report by Reuters.
The bribe was reportedly solicited in exchange for facilitating the relocation of mining equipment from a state-owned coal enterprise in the war-torn Donetsk region.
The equipment was intended to be moved to state-operated mines in western Ukraine, specifically the Lviv-Volyn basin.
Although the deputy minister’s identity was initially withheld, the Ukrainian government later announced the immediate dismissal of Deputy Energy Minister Oleksandr Kheilo. Kheilo was not available for comment at the time of reporting.
A high-ranking official from a state-owned coal company, along with two middlemen, have been arrested for their alleged involvement in a bribery scheme.
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The group was caught in the act of collecting a $100,000 bribe payment, following a previous transaction of $200,000 that had already been documented by investigators, according to Reuters.
Ukraine’s Energy Minister, German Galushchenko, reportedly played a key role in exposing the bribery scheme and quickly requested the Cabinet of Ministers to dismiss the deputy minister involved. This arrest follows a series of anti-corruption efforts by Ukraine.
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