Corruption is Everywhere > Ukraine is always good for a story on corruption

 

Ukraine's deputy energy minister arrested,

fired, in alleged corruption plot

By Chris Benson

The SBU says Ukraine’s Energy Minister German Galushchenko uncovered the scheme by his deputy and reported it to the government. If convicted, the four face up to 12 years in prison. File Photo by Ukrainian President Press Office/UPI | License Photo

Aug. 12 (UPI) -- A high-ranking official in Ukraine's Ministry of Energy on Monday was arrested on charges of alleged corruption amid a sweeping government-led probe to root out such acts.

The Security Service of Ukraine -- or SBU -- announced the official, identified by Ukrainska Pravda as Deputy Energy Minister Oleksandr Kheilo, was detained in Kyiv along with three other suspects for allegedly attempting to extort nearly half a million dollars from state-owned mining company officials in exchange for his promise to transfer mining equipment from the war-torn eastern Donetsk Oblast region near Russia's border to the Lviv-Volyn coal basin in the western part of the country.

Kheil was also fired from his role by the Cabinet of Ministers.

Industry officials approached Kheilo, whose duty was to manage mining equipment, in the spring to obtain permission from him to evacuate the valuable equipment from the east in order to move west when he began to demand money for moving it.

The plot involved a private energy trader, an energy company executive and a mining company manager where money was to be transferred in five parts of $100,000 each time when all were caught.