NABU: Midas defendants had references for 527 people, including ministers and SBU officers

The defendants in the energy corruption case systematically collected data on law enforcement officers, MPs, ministers and journalists. This was announced at a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Anti-Corruption Policy, reported Oleksandr Abakumov, Head of the Detectives Unit of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau.

According to him, the activities of NABU employees were monitored, their movements in Kyiv were tracked through the Safe City database, and the suspects had information on where the detectives themselves, their relatives and children lived, as well as other contact details.

"So far, we have established that members of the criminal organization have taken a total of 527 references on various influential people in the state," Abakumov said.

He clarified that it was about 15 NABU detectives who were investigating the energy and law enforcement sectors. Abakumov noted that the defendants also had dossiers on those NABU employees who were later suspected.

Among the files were references to 16 current MPs, including Anastasia Radina and Yaroslav Zheleznyak, 18 ministers and deputy ministers, nine employees of the Security Service of Ukraine, 10 journalists covering corruption, including Yuriy Nikolov and the late Oleksiy Shalaysky, as well as the former head of the Ukrenergo.

The detective emphasized that similar references were found for a number of experts from Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise and Bokarius Institute of Forensic Expertise.

"We understand why such profiles were made. To have information directly about experts and to be able to influence them," he said.

Director of the NABU Semyon Krivonos suggested that the SBU should be interested in these facts.

"I think they will also be interested in this. I mean, for some reason, they may have interfered with this group – some SBU officers, it could have happened," he added.

• November 10, NABU and SAPO reportedconducting a large-scale operation to expose corruption in the energy sector: it took 15 months and about 1000 hours of audio recordings to document the activities of a "high-level criminal organization."
• According to sources, LIGA.netcorruption scheme of influence on strategic public sector enterprises caused losses of $100 million.
• November 13, HACC finalized the selection of preventive measures suspects in the 'Midas' case, all detainees are in pre-trial detention centers. However, for two of the defendants, paid a deposit on the same day.
• On November 22, it was reported that NABU puts on the wanted list two suspects in the Midas case, Mindich and Zukerman.