The NABU has released the next portion of materials from Operation “Midas.” The new evidence indicates that members of the criminal organization transferred money to a former Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, referred to internally as “Che Guevara.” 

While NABU and SAPO do not disclose his name in official communications, during a HACC hearing on the interim measure for one of the suspects, Ihor Myroniuk, the SAPO prosecutor stated that pseudonyms were assigned to individuals who used the organization’s money-laundering services to maintain maximum secrecy. According to the prosecutor, the pseudonym “Che Guevara” referred to Oleksii Chernyshov, former Deputy Prime Minister and former Minister for Communities and Territories Development, who is also a defendant in another HACC corruption case involving the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories.

Detectives documented the transfer of USD 1.2 million and nearly EUR 100,000 in cash in an office and a medical clinic owned by one of the alleged members of the criminal group. According to NABU, USD 500,000 of that amount was received by Chernyshov’s wife after he had already been charged with corruption in the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories case dating from his tenure.

As reported earlier, on November 10, the NABU and the SAPO conducted an operation exposing a large-scale corruption scheme in the energy sector. The investigation uncovered a multi-level criminal organization that received unlawful benefits from contractors of Energoatom amounting to 10-15 percent of contract values. As of today, five suspects have been detained, and seven individuals in total, including current and former top officials, have been formally charged. The investigation continues.