KYIV’S MAIN POWER BROKER
Yermak has been a close friend of Zelenskyy‘s since the president’s days as a TV comedian, and helped guide his successful outsider’s campaign for election in 2019.
Since then, the 54-year-old has positioned himself as a chief decision maker, attracting criticism both at home and abroad as an unelected adviser with outsized power.
Yermak had confirmed his apartment was being searched and said he was cooperating. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office did not specify which investigation the searches were linked to.
The two agencies this month unveiled a sweeping probe into an alleged US$100 million kickback scheme at the state atomic energy company allegedly involving former senior officials and an ex-business partner of Zelenskyy’s.
Yermak was not named as a suspect, but activists, opposition lawmakers and even some in Zelenskyy’s own Servant of the People party had called for his dismissal, saying his presence compromised Ukraine’s bargaining power.
Mykyta Poturayev, a lawmaker for the party who had called for an overhaul of both the presidential office and the government, said Yermak’s resignation came at a perilous moment but had been necessary.
“The potential dangers of Andriy Yermak remaining in his position outweighed these risks,” he said.
Source: CNA
