Breaking: Zelensky's former second-in-command, Yermak, charged in major corruption probe

Prefer on Google by Oleksiy Sorokin Andrii Yermak, then-President's Office head, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 20, 2024. (Viktor Kovalchuk / Global Images Ukraine / Getty Images) Editor's Note: This is a developing story. President Volodymyr Zelensky's former chief of staff has been charged as part of sweeping corruption investigation, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) said in a statement. According to a Kyiv Independent source in law enforcement, the mentioned official is Andriy Yermak, fired in November. Yermak has been under investigation in a probe into a $100 million corruption scheme centered around the state nuclear monopoly Energoatom. The Energoatom probe, launched last year, is the biggest corruption investigation of Zelensky's tenure. Prior, nine suspects have been charged in the Energoatom case, among them Timur Mindich, a close Zelensky associate, ex-Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov and former Energy and Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko . Suspects in the Energoatom case have allegedly given money to Chernyshov for the construction of high-end houses near Kyiv, a law enforcement source told the Kyiv Independent. One of the luxury houses near Kyiv financed through the Energoatom corruption scheme was meant for Yermak, the source added. The President's Office and Yermak did not respond to requests for comment.