Herman Halushchenko, the former energy minister for Ukraine, was detained on Sunday after allegedly attempting to flee the country.
According to a report by Fox News, Halushchenko was captured by authorities from a train at the border. The arrest comes after requests from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
"Halushchenko tried to escape Ukraine," a source told the outlet. "The border guards had a request from NABU and SAPO about him and also to get information in case he tried to cross the border.”
"This essentially means that because he tried to cross, the president has lost some control here,” the source added.
On Sunday, the NABU released a statement, though it did not mention Halushchenko by name.
"Today, while crossing the state border, NABU detectives have detained the former Minister of Energy as part of the ‘Midas’ case," the agency said, referring to a corruption scandal that alleges a $100 million embezzlement scheme within the state-owned nuclear energy company Energoatom. "Initial investigative proceedings are ongoing, carried out in accordance with the requirements of the law and court sanctions. Details to follow.”
Halushchenko was Ukraine’s energy minister under President Volodymyr Zelensky and was reportedly an "unofficial but direct subordinate" of Zelensky, per the source. He resigned last November after NABU discovered a money-laundering scheme that was orchestrated by another Zelensky ally, Tymur Mindich.
"Halushchenko had been [an] (unofficial but direct) subordinate to Zelensky, so if his corruption is proven then it will be hard to convince people the president knew nothing," they said. "With the corruption probes, Zelenskyy loses control and this infuriates him.”
