The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine has opened two abuse of power and bribery cases against President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak and his brother Denys.
The bureau told this Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty in a response published on June 11.
On June 2, the High Anti-Corruption Court ordered the NABU to open a case against the Yermak brothers after Geo Leros, a lawmaker from Zelensky’s Servant of the People party, filed a motion to initiate the investigations.
In March, Leros published videos implicating Denys Yermak in corruption. They showed the chief of staff’s brother considering candidates for government jobs and discussing receiving money from some of them.
The Yermak brothers have not denied the authenticity of the videos, but Denys Yermak claimed they were taken out of context. Andriy Yermak also dismissed the accusations and lashed out at Leros, promising to sue him.
The Yermak brothers did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
“According to the motion, a Ukrainian citizen received a bribe for influencing decisions made by the president’s chief of staff on appointing a number of people to government jobs,” the NABU said.
According to Leros’ motion, Andriy Yermak received a bribe for appointing people to government jobs, as cited by the NABU.
Sabotage?
This is not the first case opened by the NABU into the alleged corruption of the Yermak brothers.
In early April it opened its first case. However, in late April Chief Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Nazar Kholodnytsky’s office transferred the Yermak case from the NABU to the police.
The move prompted the whistleblower Leros to allege that Kholodnytsky was trying to bury the case. Kholodnytsky’s office declined to comment on why the case was transferred and on the accusations of sabotage.
The NABU is seen as more independent, while Interior Minister Arsen Avakov’s police have the reputation of a corrupt and politicized force.
Another law enforcement body, the State Investigation Bureau, has launched investigations against Leros instead of going after the Yermak brothers. The bureau accuses Leros of divulging a state secret and interfering in the work of a state official, something that Leros sees as a political vendetta.
Alleged corruption
Serhii Shumsky and Dmytro Shtanko, Denys Yermak’s alleged partners in the graft schemes, said in an April 8 interview with the Bihus.info investigative journalism project that the chief of staff’s brother had received payments from candidates for state jobs. Shtanko said that Denys Yermak received about $100,000.
Shtanko said that Andriy Yermak had received $10,000 for the appointment of Oleksandr Lutsky to the State Geography and Cadastre Service. Lutsky did not respond to a request for comment.
Shtanko said that Denys Yermak had constantly talked to his brother Andriy about their negotiations with candidates. Shumsky said the whole scheme had been initiated by Andriy Yermak.
Shumsky and Shtanko also confirmed meetings in which Denys Yermak discussed cracking down on the business of Danish logistics company MAERSK and Ukrainian logistics firm TIS. In the videos, Yermak says that he needs to do this to promote the interests of KTL Ukraine, a local subsidiary of Turkish logistics company Kinay.
KTL Ukraine denied cooperating with Yermak in the alleged scheme.
