Anti-corruption investigation involves people from president's office in Ukraine

Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies have launched an operation to uncover a "criminal organization" reportedly involving former and current members of parliament, as well as senior officials from the president's office. The agencies announced the operation but provided limited details, stating that more information would be released later.

It remains unclear if this investigation is connected to previous corruption inquiries in Ukraine. In May, Andriy Yermak, former chief of staff to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was arrested and charged with corruption. He has since been released on bail. Yermak resigned from his post in November amid a corruption scandal, having been considered Zelenskyy's closest and most trusted associate during his tenure.

At the time of Yermak's resignation, he was not officially suspected in the corruption case, which originated in Ukraine's energy sector. That scandal led to the resignations of Ukraine's justice and energy ministers. Reports suggest that approximately $100 million (645 million kroner) was illegally withdrawn from the energy sector through this scheme.

According to Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities, the case involving Andriy Yermak specifically concerns a luxury construction project outside Kyiv, as reported by the BBC. The current investigation's scope and specific targets beyond the alleged leadership by lawmakers and involvement of presidential office staff are yet to be clarified.