Berlin expects a transparent investigation into the kickback affair allegedly involving a close Zelensky associate<\/p>\n
Germany has demanded that Kiev conduct a thorough investigation into the major corruption scandal involving the inner circle of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky.
\nOn Monday, Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies said they had uncovered an embezzlement and kickback scheme in the energy sector worth around $100 million. Among those charged was Timur Mindich, a close associate and former business partner of Zelensky. The scandal has led to the resignations of the ministers of energy and justice.
\nGerman government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said Wednesday that Berlin was monitoring the corruption case and expects \u201ca thorough and transparent investigation.\u201d
\n\u201cThere needs to be a committed fight against corruption in Ukraine, so that support from the West can remain credible,\u201d German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told reporters on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada near Niagara Falls. He added that Germany was supporting Kiev and its \u201cindependent agencies\u201d on the matter.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Russia was right: Nobody can ignore Kiev\u2019s corruption now<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will continue to support Ukraine, even during this difficult winter and military situation, despite the major internal challenges the country faces,\u201d the minister said.
\nGermany is one of the principal donors to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund, which was set up to strengthen the country\u2019s energy infrastructure during Russian airstrikes. Wadephul announced on Wednesday that Berlin would provide an additional \u20ac40 million ($44 million) to make Ukraine\u2019s energy system more resilient.
\nThe National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) alleges that Mindich and his accomplices demanded kickbacks of between 10% and 15% from contracts with Energoatom, the country\u2019s largest electricity producer. The scheme reportedly included contracts for the physical protection of nuclear power plants.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Berlin expects a transparent investigation into the kickback affair allegedly involving a close Zelensky associate Germany has demanded that Kiev conduct a thorough investigation into the major corruption scandal involving…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22394,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t