Ukraine’s energy and justice ministers resigned on Wednesday over their alleged involvement in a sweeping corruption scandal in the country’s energy sector.
Investigators alleged a key ally of President Volodymyr Zelensky orchestrated a $100-million kickback scheme to siphon off funds, triggering public anger at a time of widespread power outages caused by Russian attacks.
Ukraine has long been plagued by corruption and cracking down on graft is seen as a key requirement of its bid to join the European Union.
Zelensky earlier called for the resignation of his Justice Minister German Galushchenko, who investigators alleged received “personal benefits” in the scheme, as well as Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk.
Neither is known to have been charged and Grynchuk has not been mentioned as having profited from the scheme.
“The minister of justice and the minister of energy cannot remain in their positions,” Zelensky said in a video posted on social media.
Shortly afterwards, both submitted letters of resignation, Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.
The scandal has triggered outcry among Ukrainians, who are suffering frequent heating and electricity outages from the Russian bombings.
“It’s disgusting,” Davyd, a 24-year-old content creator, told AFP, declining to give his surname.
“They’re destroying us, our reputation, and our future. We won’t have a future if we have crooks like that,” he said, expressing concern over how the scandal would play among Kyiv’s crucial backers in the EU.
People “raise as much money as possible to help the (army), and they are just hiding the money in their basements”, he added.
“Why do they do this?”
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