At least two friends of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have been named in a ‘golden toilet’ scam that saw tens of millions of euros drained from wartime energy programmes.
Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau has been investigating a €86million pay-to-play scheme for procurement contracts at the state nuclear company, run by the energy ministry.
Businessman Tymur Mindich has been named as one of the seven suspects and is understood to have fled Ukraine last week.
Mindich, a business associated of the Ukrainian president, co-founded the entertainment company Kvartal 95 with Zelenksy and is accused of being the ringleader of the scheme.
Zelenksy and Mindich’s close friendship is well documented and, according to Ukrainian officials, experts and activists, Mindich’s rise to power is closely linked to his relationship with Zelensky’s inner circle.
The president used Mindich’s armored car during the final stretch of his presidential campaign in 2019, and in 2021, Zelensky celebrated his birthday in the businessman’s apartment during COVID. The two own properties in the same building.
Speaking to Fox News, a former Ukrainian government official said Mindich ‘had an apartment with golden toilets’, inspiring the nickname for the anti-corruption probe.
Mindich was also a close business associate of Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoysky, who backed Zelensky’s presidential campaign.
Zelensky later cut ties with the billionaire and in 2023, Kolomoysky was arrested by Ukrainian security services on fraud and money-laundering charges.
Any criminal proceedings against Mindich, who has reportedly fled to Poland, are likely to be carried out in absentia.
Ukraine’s former deputy minister Oleksiy Chernyshov was also named in the investigation and was described by the former official as ‘very close’ to the president’s family.
He has held positions in Zelensky’s government since 2019, and has been accused of ‘abuse of office’.
Zelensky has not been named in the corruption probe and has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
The president has openly supported the work of the anti-corruption agencies, while also sanctioning Mindich.
Writing on X on Saturday, Zelensky said the leadership of the state-owned companies will be renewed and their finances audited.
But there are reportedly rumours swirling in Ukraine’s parliament that the leader may have been involved or benefited from the scheme.
The allegations by the NABU have caused widespread fury as the fourth winter of war approaches with most Ukrainians living under daily power cuts caused by Russian bombardment of the grid.
Ukraine, which has received tens of billions of dollars of support from its allies since Russia invaded in 2022, is under international pressure to tackle its long-running corruption problems as it seeks to join the European Union.
Zelensky tried to curb some powers of anti-corruption body NABU earlier this year, but backed down after an outcry from the public and European allies.
He said his changes were intended to make the government more efficient, but his opponents said he was trying to shield associates from investigations, which he denied.
