The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov does not have the status of a suspect or accused in the case of the co-owner of the studio “Kvartal 95” Timur Mindich. Umerov was questioned by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) as a witness. This was reported by the Director of the NABU Semen Kryvonos and the Head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) Oleksandr Klymenko.
“He is really being questioned now. I cannot disclose further details. He himself, his press service, confirmed that he was being questioned. I can say that he is not currently a suspect or accused. I will refrain from any further comments, because this may harm the pre-trial investigation, ” – Kryvonos noted.
Klymenko added that Umerov was interrogated precisely as a witness, “that is, his status at the moment is a witness”.
On November 26, the National Security and Defense Council reported that Rustem Umerov was summoned for questioning by the NABU as a witness in a case regarding possible interference in the activities of a state figure, which concerns the so-called “back office”, which the investigation links to businessman Timur Mindich.
Earlier, at one of the court hearings in the case of corruption in the energy sector, the prosecutor noted that Mindich allegedly tried to put pressure on Umerov during his tenure as Minister of Defense. Umerov himself called such allegations “baseless” and explained that as a minister he regularly met with manufacturers and suppliers of weapons, including Mindich, to discuss contracts, including a contract for body armor, which was later terminated due to “non-compliance of the products with the requirements”.
On November 10, NABU announced the conduct of a large-scale operation “Midas” to expose corruption in the energy sector. More than 70 searches were carried out as part of the operation. According to the investigation, the organizers of the scheme received up to 15% of the value of the state-owned Energoatom contracts in the form of “kickbacks”, which were paid by the company’s counterparties, imposed by the participants in the scheme.
Energoatom emphasized full cooperation with the investigation and readiness to provide all necessary materials for a transparent investigation.
The Office of the President emphasized that all those involved in corruption schemes in the energy sector must be punished. President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized the need for “effective actions” and the inevitability of responsibility.
