Ukrainian Energy Minister Svitlana Hryntchuk resigned on Wednesday, as an investigation into a possible corruption scandal in the country's energy sector was launched. Hryntchuk wrote on Facebook, according to Reuters. She herself denies any wrongdoing.
The government has lost two ministers in a matter of hours. Ukraine's Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko was suspended from his post on Wednesday morning.
The Ukrainian prosecutor's office claims that a close ally of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is behind a kickback scheme in the energy sector. It is alleged to have illegally generated $100 million - equivalent to 645 million kroner.
Earlier in the day, Zelenskyy called on both the energy and justice ministers to resign in a video.
- The justice minister and the energy minister cannot remain in their posts, Zelenskyy said in the video published on social media.
He added that it is "completely unacceptable that there is still corruption in the energy sector", while Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure cause daily power outages to the inconvenience of the Ukrainian population.
According to the prosecutor's office, the mastermind is Timur Mindich, who is a co-owner of the television production company Kvartal 95, writes the AFP news agency. The company was established by Zelenskyy before he became president of Ukraine. At the time, Zelensky was a comedian.
According to AFP, Timur Midich left Ukraine before the corruption charges were brought against him. Kvartal 95 states that the corruption case is not related to the production company's activities.
/ritzau/
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