Former Energy Minister of Ukraine, German Galushchenko. file | Photo credit: Reuters
Ukraine’s former energy minister, German Galushchenko, has been formally named a suspect in a high-profile money laundering investigation, investigators said Monday (Feb. 16, 2026).
Mr. The announcement came a day after Galushchenko was detained by law enforcement trying to leave Ukraine and was the latest development in an energy sector corruption scandal that rocked the government last year.
“The former Minister of Energy (2021-2025) was exposed for involvement in money laundering and criminal organization,” Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) said in a statement.
Mr Galushchenko was not named in the announcement, but he served as the country’s energy minister between 2021 and 2025. The charges are punishable by up to 15 years in prison under the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Mr. Galushchenko was accused in November of being involved in a $100-million kickback scheme from contractors building fortifications to protect energy infrastructure against Russian attacks. Investigators now allege about $12 million is in bank accounts belonging to Mr. Galushchenko’s family.
He said in November that he would “defend himself in court” as he was suspended from office. He was one of several high-ranking political figures to resign in the wake of the scandal, which investigators allege also implicated a close friend of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mr Zelensky took power in 2019, vowing to root out corruption among political elites. His government passed some reforms, but also faced several humiliating graft scandals, including at the Ministry of Defense. The European Union is seeking sweeping reforms to curb corruption as part of its demand for Ukrainian membership in the bloc.
Published – February 16, 2026 11:15 pm IST
