Mindichgate. The MP named the journalists who were "dug up" by the defendants: a LIGA ZAKON employee was also among them.
Yaroslav Yurchyshyn (Photo: MP's Telegram channel)

The defendants in Operation Midas, which concerned large-scale corruption in the energy sector, had dossiers on seven journalists and two media workers who have since died. This was reported by member of Parliament Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, the head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech, published the response of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau to his request. This list also included Maryna Ansiforova, an employee of LIGA ZAKON, who worked on investigative journalism projects.

According to the document, as part of the investigation, law enforcement officers seized certificates ("folders") with personal data of a number of individuals, including journalists or media representatives:

→ Maryna Ansiforova (Head of the Compliance Department at LIGA ZAKON, which is part of the LIGA group of companies, which also includes LIGA.net);

→ Yuriy Butusov (military journalist and editor-in-chief of Censor.net);

→ Stanislav Rechinsky (editor-in-chief of the ORD website);

→ Volodymyr Fedorin (founder and former editor-in-chief of Forbes Ukraine);

→ Olga Chaika (editor at Forbes Ukraine);

→ Yuriy Nikolov (co-founder of the investigative project "Nashi Hroshi");

→ Andriy Kulykov (Head of the Commission on Journalistic Ethics).

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The report also mentions two deceased media professionals: Volodymyr Mostovyi, the founder of the Dzerkalo Tyzhnia publication, and an investigative journalist and co-founder of "Nashi Hroshi". Oleksa Shalaiskyi.

UPDATED at 21:40. In a comment LIGA.net Ansiforova said she was unaware that she was being watched or anything like that.

"We are already consulting with lawyers and trying to establish what facts formed the basis for such conclusions," the media personality noted.

According to her, in any case, if grounds for illegal surveillance or information gathering are found, a crime report will be filed.

Previously, Ansiforova worked for Nashi Hroshi and the BIHUS.Info project, among others.

"This is a probable violation of privacy, a criminal offense (maximum penalty – five years in prison. – Ed.). But there's a catch. According to the Criminal Procedure Code, proceedings can only be opened if the victims file a personal complaint. My parliamentary inquiry is not enough," Yurchyshyn noted.

He added that journalists can file complaints with the National Police, noting that his committee is ready to provide support.

Earlier, the head of the NABU detective unit, Oleksandr Abakumov, stated that the defendants in Operation Midas systematically collected data on law enforcement officers, deputies, ministers, and journalists: this refers to certificates for 527 people. One of the suspects in this case is Timur Mindich, a former business partner and friend of the president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.