Ukraine’s deputy energy minister, Oleksandr Kheilo, was arrested on corruption charges, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported on Aug. 12.
While the SBU initially stated that a deputy energy minister had been arrested without naming Kheilo, Ukrainska Pravda later confirmed that he was the individual involved.
Following the arrest, the official portal of Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers announced that Kheilo had been dismissed from his position.
According to the SBU, Kheilo allegedly solicited bribes from representatives of a state-owned coal company in exchange for facilitating the transfer of mining equipment from the frontline hotspot of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast to the Lviv-Volyn region in western Ukraine, where fighting is ongoing.
Kheilo is also accused of involving three accomplices in the corruption scheme: an independent energy trader, the head of an energy company in Mykolaiv Oblast, and the head of a mining company in Donetsk Oblast.
The SBU claims to have documented several bribe payments, and the individuals were reportedly caught “red-handed.”
The four suspects have been charged with receiving bribes and could face up to 12 years in prison if convicted.
In a statement on its official website, the Energy Ministry said it is cooperating with law enforcement to “ensure an objective investigation and establish all the circumstances of the offense.”
By FCCT Editorial Team
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