How the SBU attempted to protect Minister Halushchenko’s reputation amid the $500,000 bribe scandal involving his deputy

Today, Deputy Minister of Energy Oleksandr Khaylo was exposed for allegedly accepting a $500,000 bribe. The operation to uncover the bribe was conducted jointly by NABU, SAP, the SBU, and the Kyiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

Here’s where it gets interesting. Almost simultaneously (exactly at 10:00 AM), NABU, SAP, the Kyiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, the Office of the Prosecutor General, the SBU, and the Ministry of Energy all released posts about the Deputy Minister’s exposure.

And the role of Minister Halushchenko (in the photo) is portrayed very differently across these statements:

• NABU and SAPO do not say anything at all about any assistance from Halushchenko. Even though NABU and SAPO are the key bodies in this investigation by jurisdiction.

In the news, both NABU and SAPO simply say:
“The NABU, together with the SBU, under the procedural guidance of the SAPO and the Kyiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, exposed the Deputy Minister for a half-million dollar bribe.”

• The Kyiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, surprisingly, also did not mention any involvement of the Minister in the investigation:

“The exposing measures were carried out in cooperation with NABU detectives and SBU officers.”

• Let’s go further. The Prosecutor General’s Office writes word for word in the news as the regional prosecutor’s office, but for some reason adds the phrase “IN COOPERATION with the Ministry of energy” in the penultimate paragraph: “The exposing measures were carried out in cooperation with NABU detectives and SBU officers in COOPERATION with the leadership of the Ministry of Energy.”

• SBU specifically emphasizes the role of the Minister in the title. And not as an interaction, but as “MINISTER’S ASSISTANCE: “The SBU and NABU, with the assistance of the Minister of Energy of Ukraine, detained his deputy on a bribe of half a million dollars.”

• The Ministry of Energy, just like the SBU, uses the word “ASSISTANCE OF THE MINISTER” in its headline: “Law enforcement officers, with the assistance of the Minister of Energy, exposed his deputy on suspicion of receiving an undue benefit of half a million dollars.”

According to journalist Yuriy Nikolov, Khaylo’s arrest happened on Saturday, and it was on that day that the Ministry of Energy became aware of it. Therefore, any “assistance from the Minister” was limited to the Monday decision to address Khaylo’s dismissal, after he had already been detained.

There is also another detail that may indicate that the SBU and the Ministry of Energy coordinated their communications.

The NABU and the SAPO write in their releases about “mine equipment located near the combat zone” that was to be taken out “for use in mines in the western region.”

The SBU and the Ministry of Energy write word for word about Pokrovsk and the Lviv-Volyn coal basin: “the equipment of one of the state-owned coal companies located within the hottest area of the eastern front – Pokrovsk” and “to the heads of state-owned enterprises of the Lviv-Volyn coal basin”.

It is also somewhat surprising that the Ministry gave its news at exactly 10:00, at the same time as the news from NABU, SAPO, OGP, SBU…

But while the awareness of law enforcement and the prosecutor’s office involved in the investigation is understandable, the Ministry’s awareness of the details of the case is striking.

As is the fact that the news from the Ministry of Energy immediately included a paragraph: “The Ministry has immediately submitted a proposal to the Cabinet of Ministers to dismiss the said official. The relevant decision will be made today.”

Then, almost immediately, at the Unified Marathon, Galushchenko’s deputy Svitlana Hrynchuk quickly tried to reinforce the message that everything happened “WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE MINISTER OF ENERGY.”

And in less than an hour, Khaylo was fired. As a classic might say, “The speed is f*ing unbelievable”

Anti-Corruption Action Center

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