Zelensky’s ex-chief of staff accused in Ukraine corruption investigation
Former head of the presidential office Andriy Yermak who, according to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, is a suspect in a corruption probe (Reuters)
Ukrainian authorities have named Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelensky‘s powerful former chief of staff, as a suspect in a significant corruption probe.
The anti-graft agencies allege Yermak participated in a criminal group that laundered approximately $10.5 million through an elite housing development near the capital, Kyiv.
Yermak, who was widely considered Ukraine‘s second most powerful individual and a lead negotiator in US-backed peace talks, denied owning property in the development but declined to comment further on the allegations.
This case is part of a wider high-level graft investigation that began last November, which also saw a former Zelenskiy business partner accused of a $100 million kickback scheme and a former deputy prime minister charged.
Yermak’s resignation last year was part of a government shake-up aimed at restoring public trust in the president’s office, which had faced allegations of centralised power.
