Ukraine’s former presidential chief charged in $10.5m money laundering probe
Authorities allege the former head of the presidential office was part of an organised group laundering 460 million hryvnia through the "Dynasty" development, while officials maintain President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not a subject of the investigation.
Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) have filed a notice of suspicion against Andrii Yermak, the former head of the presidential office, for money laundering as part of an organised group. Under Ukrainian law, this procedural step is equivalent to filing charges in court. Yermak was taken into custody on Thursday, with a bail set at $3.2 million, following a motion for two months of pretrial detention.
The investigation centres on the alleged laundering of 460 million hryvnia, approximately €9 million or $10.5 million, through a luxury housing complex named "Dynasty" near Kyiv. Prosecutors allege the illicit funds were generated through corrupt schemes involving the state-owned company Energoatom and were funnelled into the legal economic system using fictitious documents, cash transactions, and shell companies. Yermak faces potential prison sentences of eight to 12 years for these charges.
Authorities have identified the group’s alleged leader as businessman Timur Mindich, who operates under the alias "Karlson." Mindich is a close associate of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a co-owner of the TV production company Kvartal 95, which the president co-founded. Six additional individuals have had charges filed against them in connection with the group, which began acquiring land for the Dynasty complex in 2019.
Yermak, who served as the head of the presidential office from 2020 until his resignation last year, has denied the allegations. He described the accusations as "unfounded" and claimed on Telegram that there had been "unprecedented public pressure" on law enforcement agencies to investigate him. His office and private home were searched by NABU in November 2025, leading to his departure from the presidential administration, although he was not initially accused of wrongdoing.
While Ukraine’s corruption authorities have explicitly denied that President Zelenskyy is a subject of the preliminary investigations, analysts warn the case may damage his reputation. Political scientists Petro Oleshchuk and Volodymyr Fesenko suggest that while Zelenskyy currently enjoys immunity, the scandal could be used against him after the war ends and election campaigns begin.
