The vote on the dismissal of two ministers involved in the recently erupted corruption scandal in the Ukrainian parliament was marred by scandal on Tuesday, after opposition representatives blocked the way to the speaker’s podium and demanded the resignation of the entire cabinet instead of voting, MTI said.
The vote on Svitlana Hrynchuk, who heads the energy ministry, and Herman Haluschenko, who heads the justice ministry, was blocked by representatives of former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko‘s party, European Solidarity, and several representatives of one of the largest opposition parties held up signs, including “What is the price of darkness?” with a caption.
House speaker Ruszlan Sztefanchuk then suspended the session, and an opposition representative told the press that the vote is expected to be attempted again on Wednesday.
Unian reported from the scene, Poroshenko stated that they insist on the resignation of the entire government, not just the resignation of two ministers. He also said that his faction has started collecting signatures for the resignation of the government, and so far 51 signatures have been collected.
Ukraine’s anti-corruption agency has launched an investigation into a $100 million bribe related to procurement contracts for a state nuclear power company controlled by the Ministry of Energy. So far, two suspects have been detained, and two have been allowed to defend themselves at large. One of them, former business partner of President Volodymyr Zelensky, Timur Mindich, left the country last week.
As part of the Midas operation, several house searches were already conducted, among others at Haluscenko’s and the Enerhoatom company.
As a result of the case, Haluschenko was suspended from office, and Hrinchuk offered to resign. Both ministers emphasize their innocence.
