Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky introduced on Saturday an overhaul of state-owned power firms, after a corruption scandal on the coronary heart of a sector battered by Russian assaults sparked a public outrcy.
Anti-graft investigators mentioned round $100 million had been embezzled from the power sector, inflicting outrage in a rustic the place Russian assaults have resulted in devastating energy outages.
Zelensky ordered two ministers to resign over the corruption scheme and sanctioned a former enterprise associate who was named as its mastermind.
“We are starting the overhaul of key state-owned enterprises within the power sector,” Zelensky mentioned in a social media submit.
“Alongside a full audit of their monetary actions, the administration of those firms is to be renewed.”
Complete overhaul
He known as for a brand new supervisory board at Energoatom, the state nuclear firm on the coronary heart of the scandal, to be in place “inside per week” to allow a “full overhaul of the corporate’s administration”.
The Ukrainian president additionally known as for the short appointment of a brand new head of hydropower producing firm Ukrhydroenergo and different reforms for oil and fuel large Naftogaz and the principle fuel operator.
Zelensky has beforehand mentioned he’s dedicated to totally cooperate with the anti-corruption investigation.
“I’ve additionally instructed authorities officers to keep up fixed and significant communication with regulation enforcement and anti-corruption our bodies,” he mentioned Saturday. “The full transparency and integrity within the power sector stay an absolute precedence.”
The scandal prompted a few of Ukraine’s European allies to induce Zelensky’s authorities to do extra to battle corruption.
(rh)
