By Dan Peleschuk
May 11 (Reuters) – Ukrainian authorities on Monday named President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s powerful former chief of staff as a suspect in a major corruption probe, a move likely to pile pressure on the president’s office at a sensitive moment in the war with Russia.
Kyiv’s political class was rocked by a wide-ranging investigation last year that had fueled public anger and prompted the ex-top adviser and Zelenskiy’s right-hand man, Andriy Yermak, to resign.
In a statement, Ukraine’s anti-graft agencies said Yermak is suspected of participating in a criminal group that laundered around $10.5 million through an elite housing development outside the capital Kyiv.
The agencies did not name Yermak, in line with Ukrainian law, but he was widely identified by local media. Speaking to Ukrainian outlet Radio Liberty, he denied owning real estate in the development but did not comment further.
The case is part of a broader probe into high-level graft first unveiled last November, when a former Zelenskiy business partner was accused of running a $100 million kickback scheme at the state atomic agency.
A former deputy prime minister and close associate of Zelenskiy’s was also charged as part of the investigation.
Zelenskiy’s communications adviser, Dmytro Lytvyn, told reporters it was too early to comment on the suspicion against Yermak because procedural actions were still ongoing.
POWERFUL PLAYER
Yermak was widely seen as Ukraine’s second most powerful person after Zelenskiy, wielding outsize influence across much of Ukrainian politics despite holding an unelected position.
The former film producer and entertainment lawyer frequently appeared at the president’s side at public events, and had also been Kyiv’s lead negotiator in U.S.-backed peace talks with Russia.
His resignation last year came amid a broader government shake-up aimed at restoring trust in the president’s office, which has been shadowed by allegations of centralised power.
(Additional reporting by Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Nia Williams and Bill Berkrot)
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