Ukraine corruption case causes stand-off in parliament as anger mounts

By Max Hunder

KYIV (Reuters) -One of Ukraine's main opposition parties physically blocked lawmakers from holding a vote in parliament on Tuesday to dismiss two ministers over a corruption investigation, demanding the removal of the entire cabinet instead.

The stand-off in parliament was the latest manifestation of mounting public anger since Ukraine's biggest wartime corruption scandal erupted last week.

Ukraine's anti-graft bureau says it has been investigating a $100 million pay-to-play scheme for procurement contracts at the state nuclear power company, run by the energy ministry. Five suspects have been detained and two are at large, including one of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's former business associates who fled the country last week.

Parliament was due to vote on Tuesday on the dismissal of Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk and her predecessor German Galushchenko, who now serves as minister of justice.

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But the vote was not held as the opposition European Solidarity party blocked access to the speaker's podium, with lawmakers holding cardboard signs that bore slogans such as "What is the price of darkness?"

Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk halted the session. One opposition MP said a new vote would likely be on Wednesday.

Both cabinet ministers deny any wrongdoing in the scandal. Hrynchuk has offered to resign and Galushchenko has been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation. Zelenskiy supports removing both of them.

European Solidarity, which is led by ex-president Petro Poroshenko, has said it would seek to remove the whole cabinet, a measure which now has little support in parliament.

Members of Zelenskiy's Servant of the People bloc accused the opposition group of grandstanding and preventing parliament from taking action.

"While some thieves run away and hide, others – populist politicians – put on a show," said Danylo Hetmantsev, a senior Servant of the People lawmaker.

The allegations by the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), have caused widespread fury as the fourth winter of war approaches with most Ukrainians living under daily power cuts caused by Russian bombardment of the grid.

The alleged head of the graft scheme, businessman Timur Mindich, is a co-owner of the TV studio where Zelenskiy made his career as a sitcom star before winning office in 2019. Zelenskiy has imposed financial sanctions on Mindich and the studio said Mindich now plays no decision-making role in its activities.

Ukraine, which has received tens of billions of dollars of support from its allies since Russia invaded in 2022, is under international pressure to tackle its long-running corruption problems as it seeks to join the European Union.

Zelenskiy tried to curb some powers of anti-corruption body NABU earlier this year, but backed down after an outcry from the public and European allies. He said his changes were intended to make the government more efficient. Opponents said he was trying to shield associates from investigations, which he denied.

(Reporting by Max Hunder, additional reporting by Anastasiia Malenko and Yuliia Dysa)