A long-running corruption affair in Ukraine is widening, with authorities taking action against Andriy Yermak, the former head of the presidential office. On May 11, Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) filed a notice of suspicion against Yermak, equivalent to filing charges in court. He was accused of money laundering as part of an organized group, a charge carrying a prison sentence of eight to 12 years.
According to anti-corruption authorities, the group to which Yermak allegedly belonged laundered 460 million hryvnia (€9 million or $10.5 million) in connection with a luxury construction project near Kyiv. Charges were also filed against six other individuals. SAP head Oleksandr Klymenko said at a press conference, "This is a particularly serious crime. We are currently gathering evidence." NABU and SAP also filed a motion for two months of pretrial detention for Yermak.
On May 15, Yermak was taken into custody on money laundering charges, with bail set at $3.2 million. Investigators allege the affair dates back to 2018 when one member of the accused criminal group became a co-founder of BLOOM Development. In summer 2019, the company acquired over four hectares of land near Kyiv, beginning construction in 2021 on a luxury housing complex named "Dynasty." Prosecutors claim the site was used to funnel illicit funds back into the legal economy via fictitious documents, cash transactions, and shell companies.
A man using the alias "Karlson" is thought to have headed the group, identified by media as businessman Timur Mindich, a close associate and confidant of President Zelenskyy. Mindich is a co-owner of the TV production company Kvartal 95, which Zelenskyy co-founded. Yermak is believed to have been a member of this group. NABU searched his office and home in November 2025, and though not accused then, he resigned as head of the presidential office.
Yermak has called the allegations "unfounded" and denied owning a home in the Dynasty complex. On Telegram, he claimed "unprecedented public pressure" on law enforcement to investigate him. He said he would stay in Ukraine and continue practicing law. Long considered Ukraine's second-most powerful person, Yermak stepped back from his post last year.
Some journalists speculated that one of the Dynasty homes could belong, via front men, to Zelenskyy. However, Ukraine's corruption authorities denied this. NABU head Semen Kryvonos stated, "President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was not and is not the subject of preliminary investigations by NABU and SAP."
Analysts say the case could still damage Zelenskyy's reputation. Political scientist Petro Oleshchuk told DW the affair will keep resurfacing and won't disappear. Volodymyr Fesenko warned that compromising material could be used against Zelenskyy after the war and during election campaigns. Zelenskyy has not commented, with his advisor saying it is too early to draw conclusions.
Source: www.dw.com