The head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andri Yermak, right-hand man of the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, presented his resignation this Friday after anti-corruption agencies carried out a series of searches at his home, within the framework of the crisis that kyiv is experiencing due to a large-scale investigation into corruption in the midst of negotiations for a peace agreement.
Zelensky has announced in a recorded speech that this office “will be renewed”, since Yermak has presented his resignation, but for the moment he has not announced names about his future replacement. “Tomorrow I will meet with those who can lead this institution,” he reported.
However, the head of state had words of gratitude for Yermak, especially for having “always presented the Ukrainian position in the negotiations with due precision.” “It has always been a patriotic position, but I want there to be no rumors or speculation,” he concluded.
In this sense, he has indicated that this change comes because he does not want “anyone to have doubts about Ukraine”, in the midst of the negotiations to end the Russian invasion, since Yermak has led the Ukrainian delegation during the recent talks with Washington, which complicates the Ukrainian position in this regard and leaves it up in the air who will replace him in the next rounds.
REGISTRATION IN THE MIDDLE OF OPERATION ‘MIDAS’
Early this morning, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) announced that they were carrying out “investigative proceedings (searches) at the headquarters of the presidential office.” “They are authorized and are carried out within the framework of the investigation,” they clarified.
Minutes later, Yermak himself confirmed the searches, although he specified that they took place at his home. “The investigators do not have any obstacles: they have been allowed full access to the apartment and my lawyers are on site, interacting with law enforcement. I provide them with full assistance,” he assured.
However, since early this morning, Zelensky’s right-hand man has not made any further statements, so he has not personally confirmed his resignation from office.
These searches took place days after an alleged network surrounding the Ukrainian energy sector was uncovered, in an operation that received the name ‘Midas’. Anti-corruption agencies then searched the headquarters of the state atomic energy company, Energoatom.
The European Union, in its annual report on the progress in the Enlargement policy of the candidate countries for accession to the community bloc, issued a warning at the beginning of the month to Ukraine to maintain the fight against corruption and not take steps back in this regard, despite the fact that it considers that kyiv has demonstrated its commitment to the European path in recent years despite the Russian invasion.
Recently, the European Commission vindicated the steps taken by Zelensky to address alleged cases of corruption in his Executive following the scandal related to Energoatom that led to the dismissal of the Ministers of Justice and Energy.