The high-profile NABU probe into energy sector corruption and the so-called "Mindich case" risk collapsing due to a lack of a solid evidentiary basis. Instead of a genuine crackdown on corruption, the public is watching a political spectacle where key figures move assets offshore in advance, while investigators ignore critical links in the criminal chain.
As "Hvylya" reports, Oleg Popenko, head of the Union of Consumers of Utilities Services and an energy analyst, voiced these concerns on Yuriy Romanenko's YouTube channel.
Commenting on the hearings at the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC), the expert noted that the NABU investigation, which spanned over a year, failed to present the court with convincing evidence of illicit financial flows.
"I followed the two-day HACC hearing closely. The paradox is that not a single word was said about money. There are no recorded facts of cash handovers, no marked bills, and no proof that the suspects actually received these funds in hand. They showed us nice photos, perhaps sent from America, but you can't file a photo as evidence in a criminal case. Courts need facts, not movies," Popenko stressed.
Why Did NABU Wait 15 Months?
The detectives' strategy also raised questions for the expert. According to Popenko, the prolonged surveillance of the suspects did the state more harm than good.
"A logical question arises for the operation's leaders: why did you track them for 15 months? Why didn't you stop the scheme after three or four months, when it was already clear that millions of dollars were being stolen? Those funds could have been saved and directed to the Armed Forces. NABU allowed huge sums to be embezzled only to show up in court empty-handed. This suggests the entire operation was political rather than legal in nature," the analyst stated.
A Scheme Missing Its Executors and Sham Divorces
Popenko pointed out that key links are missing from the case—specifically, the individuals who actually generated the corrupt cash.
"There are no 'cashiers' in the case files. Contractors, suppliers, builders—those who brought kickbacks to the so-called 'barrier'—are absent as suspects or even witnesses. The scheme looks disjointed. Meanwhile, we are seeing the classic Ukrainian asset protection strategy: the wives of the suspects, such as Chernyshov's wife, file for divorce and property division immediately after the arrests. Top Ukrainian officials suddenly become 'single' and 'poor' to save their loot," the expert remarked ironically.
According to Popenko, despite sensational headlines about Mindich's ties to former ARMA head Duma or visits to back offices, the legal prospects of the case appear dubious.
"You can make a million movies about who went where and met whom. But where is the money? Where is the proof of the crime? So far, this resembles yet another show for the audience, where none of the real scheme organizers will end up behind bars," Oleg Popenko concluded.
We previously reported that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) conducted a large-scale operation dubbed "Midas," which uncovered an influential criminal organization operating in the energy sector.
Businessman Timur Mindich is named as the scheme's ringleader—he is a co-owner of Kvartal 95 Studio and was formerly a business partner of President Zelenskyy. Investigators allege that Mindich held sway over former Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko and former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.