The Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office explained why Stefanyshyn was charged only after his dismissal
Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Olga Stefanishyna was notified of the charges against her after she had already been dismissed from her post. On August 10, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office explained that by that time, the investigation had gathered the necessary evidence, and the prosecutor had approved the relevant procedural document.
This was announced by Oleksandr Klymenko, head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, during a briefing on the results of the NABU and SAPO’s activities in the first half of 2026.
“As for the notice of suspicion, we issue it once a sufficient amount of evidence has been gathered,” Klymenko said, responding to a question about why the notice of suspicion against Stefanishyna was issued after she had been dismissed from her post as ambassador.
He explained that after gathering the necessary evidence, detectives submit a specific suspicion to the SAPO, after which a prosecutor reviews the available evidence and approves the procedural document.
“It is served on the day it is signed,” said the head of the SAP, according to a Ukrinform correspondent.
Prior to this, Stefanishyna stated that she did not have the 6 million hryvnias required for bail.
Recently, Zelenskyy dismissed Stefanishyna from her post as Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) conducted searches in connection with the case involving Stefanyishyna’s possible illicit enrichment.
As a reminder, NABU and the SAPO have not disclosed the identity of “Vova” in the Midas case.
As of August 10, courts had handed down 55 convictions in cases investigated by NABU and the SAPO during the first half of the year. Among those convicted are four high-ranking government officials, 11 heads of state-owned enterprises, as well as judges and prosecutors.
The level of corruption in Ukraine is not decreasing, and corruption among top officials, according to SAPO Head Oleksandr Klymenko, is even on the rise. He stated that the fight against bribery is hampered, in particular, by a lack of political will and a number of problems in the functioning of the anti-corruption system.
The Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court has remanded one of the suspects in the “Midas” case, Ihor Myronyuk, into custody. Bail in the amount of 85 million hryvnias was set as an alternative to pretrial detention, but it has not yet been posted.
As a reminder, NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) announced new charges against a former Energoatom official in connection with the “Midas” case. According to “Suspilne,” citing case materials, the suspect is Dmytro Basov, the company’s former executive director for physical protection and security.
Oleksandr Tsukerman, a defendant in the high-profile “Midas” case, has filed a lawsuit against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with the Administrative Court of Cassation.
