Deputy Minister of the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy was placed in provisional states for a passive donation amounting to half million dollars the authorities announced. The case comes to add to a series of scandals that have been uncovered in the leadership echelons of Ukraine, which has stepped up efforts to fight corruption as part of its bid to join the European Union.

According to the investigative authorities, the arrested person, who according to the press is called Alexander Heilo, demanded kickbacks from western Ukrainian mining companies seeking to secure the transport of spent materials to mines in eastern Ukraine near the front line.

The suspect and his three accomplices were immediately arrested. They face up to 12 years in prison and confiscation of their assets, according to Ukrainian security services.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, several corruption scandals have been uncovered, mainly in the ranks of the Ministry of Defense and the Ukrainian military, leading to the dismissal and arrest of high-ranking officials.

The president Volodymyr Zelensky has prioritized the fight against corruption, which has been endemic in Ukraine since the time of the Soviet Union and continued after its dissolution. The fight against corruption is a priority since it is a condition that Brussels has set in Kiev in the context of Ukraine’s accession process to the European Union.