Detectives from Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau have detained former energy minister Herman Halushchenko, a central figure in the $100mn Energoatom corruption scandal,  while he was attempting to cross the state border, according to Kyiv Post.

Officers from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) anti-corruption agency stopped Halushchenko as he sought to leave the country. The publication did not immediately specify the charges linked to the detention, and Ukraine’s authorities have yet to issue a detailed public statement outlining the allegations.

Halushchenko served as minister of energy during a period marked by sustained Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power infrastructure following the full-scale invasion in 2022. The ministry oversaw emergency repairs, electricity imports from the EU and efforts to synchronise Ukraine’s grid with the European network, ENTSO-E, in order to stabilise supply.

However, on Halushchenko’s watch, the state controlled Ukrenergo power company that deals with thermal power stations failed to instal defensive concrete bunkers to protect key infrastructure assets including substations, which had been installed by its sister agency Energoatom that deals with nuclear power. Those defences have proven to be effective against the Russian bombardment of recent months as Russian President Vladimir Putin tries to freeze Ukraine into submission. Reportedly the defences were not built as a group of high officials, including Halushchenko, siphoned off tens of millions of dollars of funding in an extensive corruption scheme. After the scandal broke Halushchenko was relieved of his job but has not yet been formally charged.

Ukraine has intensified anti-corruption efforts since the start of the war, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government seeks to reassure international partners and advance its bid for membership of the EU. NABU and its sister organ, the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) were established after 2014 to investigate high-level graft, including among ministers and senior officials, and operate entirely independently from the government.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy caused a major scandal last summer by trying to ram through Law 21414 which would have put both agencies directly under the president’s control, effectively gutting Ukraine’s anti-corruption infrastructure. The law sparked the first anti-government demonstrations since the war started four years ago and forced Zelenskiy to quickly backtrack. However, the Energoatom scandal continues to expand and some 40 high officials in Zelenskiy administration have been implicated in the scam, according to local reports.

Halushchenko, who previously worked in the energy sector and held senior roles in state-owned enterprises, was appointed energy minister in 2021.

It was not immediately clear whether the attempted border crossing was related to the investigation or whether a court had imposed travel restrictions. Ukrainian law bars most men of military age from leaving the country under martial law, with limited exemptions.