Zelenskyy fires a top aide amid graft probe as Ukraine's ex-defense minister demands elections
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired one of his most senior aides on Wednesday after anti-corruption investigators named a deputy head of the presidential office as a suspect in a money-laundering case.
- The National Anti-Corruption Bureau said the case involves allegations that a group laundered 150 million hryvnias, or about $3.4 million, to pay bail for a defendant in a major graft case last year.
- That earlier case involved the state-owned nuclear power company and led to the resignations of Ukraine's justice and energy ministers.
- The move came one day after Ukraine's recently dismissed defense minister called for national elections despite Russia's more than four-year invasion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed one of his top aides Wednesday as anti-corruption investigators named a deputy head of the presidential office among the suspects in a money-laundering case. The president was not accused, but the investigation added another political problem for him.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau said the case centers on allegations that a group laundered 150 million hryvnias, about $3.4 million, to cover bail for a defendant in a major graft case last year. Investigators did not give many details about the probe.
The earlier corruption case involved the state-owned nuclear power company and prompted the resignations of Ukraine's justice and energy ministers. The latest developments came a day after Ukraine's former defense minister demanded national elections despite Russia's more than four-year war against the country.
泽连斯基在贪腐调查中解雇一名高级助手，乌克兰前国防部长要求举行选举
乌克兰总统泽连斯基周三解除了其一名高级助手的职务，此前反腐调查人员将总统办公室一名副主任列为洗钱案嫌疑人。泽连斯基本人没有被指控，但这起调查给他带来了新的政治压力。
乌克兰国家反腐局称，这起案件核心指控是一个团伙在去年一宗重大腐败案中洗钱1.5亿格里夫纳，约合340万美元，用于为一名被告缴纳保释金。调查人员没有披露更多细节。
更早前的腐败案件涉及一家国有核电公司，并导致乌克兰司法部长和能源部长辞职。最新进展发生在乌克兰前国防部长呼吁举行全国选举的一天后，尽管俄罗斯对乌克兰的战争已持续四年多。