Zelenskyy says he has not spoken to Mindich since corruption scandal broke

Iryna Balachuk - 13 November, 13:24

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

In an interview with Bloomberg, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spoken about his contact with businessman and Kvartal 95 co-owner Tymur Mindich amid the recent corruption scandal.

Source: Bloomberg

Details: Bloomberg has published a piece on the corruption scandal in Ukraine's energy sector that features the associate of the president.

The Bloomberg article does not quote Zelenskyy on his communications with Mindich, but includes the line: "The president told Bloomberg that he hasn't spoken to Mindich since the corruption probe was announced."

It is unclear whether this refers to the launch of the investigation about 18 months ago, or to the Energoatom embezzlement scandal that broke on Monday 10 November.

Ukrainska Pravda has requested clarification from the President's Office but has received no reply.

The article also cites Zelenskyy as saying that "the most important thing is sentences for those people who are guilty" and that "the president of a country at war cannot have any friends".

Background:

On 13 November, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy enacted a decision by the National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) to impose sanctions against businessman Tymur Mindich – co-owner of Kvartal 95 Studio, the Ukrainian TV production company Zelenskyy founded before he became president – and businessman Oleksandr Tsukerman.
On the morning of 10 November, it was revealed that detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) had conducted searches at the homes of Tymur Mindich and Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko (who has been suspended as of 12 November). Ukrainska Pravda sources also reported that Mindich left Ukraine hours before the searches.
That same day, NABU reported that they had exposed a large-scale corruption scheme in the energy sector and released audio recordings.
On 12 November, the Cabinet of Ministers under PM Yuliia Svyrydenko adopted a decision to submit a proposal to the National Security and Defence Council to impose sanctions against Tymur Mindich and Oleksandr Tsukerman.

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