Government suspends Galushchenko from duties as justice minister

The Cabinet of Ministers has decided to suspend German Galushchenko from performing the duties of Ukraine's minister of justice.

According to Ukrinform, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced this on Telegram.

"This morning, we held an extraordinary government meeting. We made a decision to suspend German Galushchenko from performing the duties of minister of justice," she wrote.

Svyrydenko added that the Cabinet of Ministers had assigned the duties of the minister to Deputy Minister for European Integration Liudmyla Suhak.

On November 10, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) announced a special operation to uncover corruption in the energy sector. Investigators found that members of a criminal organization had built an extensive scheme to exert influence over strategic state-owned enterprises, including Energoatom.

A source familiar with the investigation said that NABU officers had conducted searches at the premises of businessman and co-owner of the Kvartal 95 studio Tymur Mindich, as well as at the residence of Justice Minister German Galushchenko, who previously served as energy minister.

On November 11, law enforcement officers detained five individuals and approved suspicion notices for seven in the energy-sector corruption case. Among them are a businessman who headed a criminal organization, a former adviser to the energy minister, Energoatom's executive director in charge of physical protection and security, and four employees of a "back office" involved in money laundering.

A draft resolution was registered in the Verkhovna Rada proposing Galushchenko's dismissal as justice minister.

The Ministry of Justice confirmed that investigative actions involving Galushchenko had been held as part of the criminal proceedings.