Zelenskyy’s chief of staff resigns as Ukraine corruption investigation widens

KYIV Ukraine AP Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy broadcasted Friday the resignation of his powerful chief of staff Andrii Yermak whose residence was searched earlier in the day by anti-corruption investigators Yermak has been Ukraine s lead negotiator in peace talks with Russia and the United States The unprecedented searches at the heart of Ukraine s cabinet come at a time when Kyiv is under intense U S pressure to sign a peace deal nearly four years after Russia invaded THIS IS A DEVELOPING NEWS UPDATE AP s earlier story follows below KYIV Ukraine AP Anti-corruption units have raided the home and reportedly also the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy s chief of staff and lead negotiator in the ongoing peace talks Andrii Yermak The unprecedented searches at the heart of Ukraine s administration come at a time when Kyiv is under intense US pressure to sign a peace deal Two national agencies fighting entrenched corruption in Ukraine revealed their searches targeted Yermak Oleksii Tkachuk a spokesperson for Yermak stated the anti-graft agencies had not served Yermak a notice of suspicion meaning he was not a suspect in an examination Tkachuk added that Yermak had not been reported what the searches related to Yermak a powerful figure in Ukraine and a key participant in talks with the United States authenticated they searched his apartment inside the presidential compound in downtown Kyiv where checkpoints limit population access Media reports stated Yermak s office was also searched but investigators declined to comment on that It was not clear where Zelenskyy or Yermak were at the time of the morning raid The investigators are facing no obstacles Yermak wrote on the messaging app Telegram He added that he was cooperating fully with them and his lawyers were present The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor s Office are Ukrainian anti-corruption watchdogs They are at this moment leading a major examination into a million capacity sector corruption controversy involving top Ukrainian leaders which has dominated domestic headlines in new weeks It was not clear if the searches were connected to the circumstance and a spokesperson for the NABU Anton Tatarnikov declined to comment citing legal restrictions on revealing details on an ongoing probe A spokesperson for the European commission Guillaume Mercier advised Ukrainian local news Radio Svoboda on Friday that they were following developments closely and that the searches exhibited that Ukraine s anti-corruption agencies were working He added that fighting corruption was central to the country s European Union accession Investigators suspect that Tymur Mindich a one-time business partner of Zelenskyy was the plot s mastermind Mindich has fled the country with any criminal proceedings against him likely to be carried out in absentia Two top regime ministers have resigned in the disgrace Two of Yermak s former deputies Oleh Tatarov and Rostyslav Shurma left the authorities in after watchdogs investigated them for financial wrongdoing A third deputy Andrii Smyrnov was investigated for bribes and other wrongdoing but still works for Yermak The outrage has heaped more problems on Zelenskyy as he seeks continued backing from Western countries for Ukraine s war effort and tries to ensure continued foreign funding The European Union which Ukraine wants to join has narrated Zelenskyy he must crack down on graft Zelenskyy faced an unprecedented rebellion from his own lawmakers earlier this month after investigators published details of their ability sector study Although Yermak was not accused of any wrongdoing several senior lawmakers in Zelenskyy s party announced Yermak should take responsibility for the debacle in order to restore populace trust Several commented that if Zelenskyy didn t fire him the party could split threatening the president s parliamentary majority But Zelenskyy defied them Zelenskyy urged Ukrainians to unite and stop the political games in light of the U S pressure to reach a settlement with Russia Yermak met Zelenskyy over years ago when he was a lawyer venturing into the TV production business and Zelenskyy was a famous Ukrainian comedian and actor He oversaw foreign affairs as part of Zelenskyy s first presidential band and was promoted to chief of staff in February Yermak has accompanied Zelenskyy on every trip abroad since Russia s invasion in February and the president s trust in him has made Yermak s power appear almost untouchable Domestically leaders describe Yermak as Zelenskyy s gatekeeper and he is widely inferred to have chosen all top leadership appointees including prime ministers and ministers Individuals connected to Yermak and the president s office have come under probe before