FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Ukraine's energy minister and justice minister resigned on Wednesday, the government announced, following accusations of involvement in a wide-ranging corruption scandal in the country's energy sector.
Investigators suspect a key ally of President Volodymyr Zelensky orchestrated a $100 million bribery scheme to embezzle funds, sparking public outrage at a time when the country is facing major power outages due to Russian attacks.
Ukraine has long struggled with corruption, and the fight against corruption is seen as an important condition for membership in the European Union.
Zelensky had earlier demanded the resignation of Justice Minister German Galushchenko, who investigators say received "personal benefits" from the scheme, as well as Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk.
None of them have been formally charged, and Grynchuk has not been named as a direct beneficiary of the scheme.
"The Minister of Justice and the Minister of Energy can no longer remain in office," Zelensky said in a video posted on social media.
A little later, both submitted their resignation letters, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced.
The scandal has caused strong reactions among Ukrainian citizens, who are facing frequent heating and power shortages due to Russian bombing.
"It's disgusting," Davyd, who did not want to give his last name, told AFP.
"They are destroying us, our reputation and our future. We will have no future if we have such corrupt people," he added, expressing concern about how this scandal will affect Kiev's main supporters in the EU.
The charges relate to bribes from contracts involving Energoatom, the state-owned nuclear power operator and the country's most important electricity supplier.
Grynchuk replaced Galushchenko as Energy Minister over the summer.
The Ukrainian parliament must officially approve their resignations.
The opposition party of former President Petro Poroshenko has demanded the resignation of the Government.
This week, anti-corruption authorities have arrested several people as part of the operation.
Ordering the ministers to resign, Zelensky said it was "completely unacceptable that (corruption) schemes still exist in the energy sector" while Ukrainians suffer daily power outages.
Russia has been hitting Ukraine's power grid with a series of drone and missile attacks. Kiev calls the attacks cynical and says they are intended to leave millions of Ukrainians in the dark and cold this winter.
Investigators say the corruption scheme was orchestrated by Timur Mindich, a former business associate of Zelensky.
Mindich is a co-owner of the production company Kvartal 95, founded by Zelensky when he was a comedian, before entering politics.
Mindich left the country shortly before the charges were made public on Monday, according to the state border service.
Zelensky has not commented on Mindich's role in the scheme, but Prime Minister Svyrydenko said she is imposing personal sanctions on him and another accused businessman, Oleksandr Tsukerman.
Kvartal 95, which produced Zelensky's TV series "Servant of the People," stated that the investigations "are not related to the studio's work."
The scandal presents a major test for Zelensky, who has been accused of concentrating power and silencing critics after the Russian invasion.
Earlier this year, there was a major backlash from the public and from Brussels over the government's efforts to limit the independence of the two main anti-corruption institutions investigating and prosecuting this case./ REL
Lini një Përgjigje