Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities have charged Andriy Yermak, the former head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office and his close personal friend, with laundering UAH460mn ($10.5mn) linked to luxury real estate development near Kyiv, according to statements issued by investigators on May 12.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, (NABU), and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, (SAPO), said the allegations relate to the laundering of funds allegedly tied to a broader investigation into the state-owned nuclear energy company Energoatom corruption scandal.

“The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s office charged the former head of the president’s office of Ukraine, a member of an organised crime group, involved in laundering UAH 460mn [€8.9mn] on elite construction near Kyiv,” NABU said in a late-evening statement.

NABU released a series of photos of the luxury villas under investigation in an upmarket gated residential area in Kyiv’s suburbs.

The agencies did not directly name Yermak in the statement, but Ukrainian media and anti-corruption activists linked the case to a long-running investigation into what prosecutors have called the “Midas” operation, an alleged €85mn corruption scheme centred on kickbacks paid on procurement contracts and property investments.

According to investigators, the case concerns “elite construction near Kyiv and the legalisation of nearly half a billion hryvnias” through property transactions. Prosecutors said the notice of suspicion was issued under Part 3 of Article 209 of Ukraine’s criminal code, covering “laundering property obtained through criminal means by a group of persons”.

Yermak did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Speaking to journalists in Kyiv on May 12, he said: “When the investigation is over, I will give comments. I have no mansions, I have only a flat and a car that you see.”

Dmytro Lytvyn, an adviser to Zelenskiy, said the authorities should be allowed to complete their work before conclusions were drawn. “Investigation is still ongoing, so it is too early to make any assessments,” he told journalists via WhatsApp.

The investigation has also touched businessman Timur Mindich and former deputy prime minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, both of whom were previously charged with corruption offences and have denied wrongdoing.

Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies have faced increasing scrutiny from western partners as Kyiv seeks continued financial and military support during the war with Russia.