MOSCOW, February 17. /TASS/. Ukraine’s former Energy and Justice Minister German German Galushchenko faces a potential prison term of from seven to 12 years if he is convicted of money laundering, Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Action Center said.

"Galushchenko is facing a punishment of from seven to 12 years in prison with the confiscation of property," it said on its Telegram channel.

According to the Center, Galushchenko’s wife and children are currently living abroad and he travelled abroad 58 times after martial law was imposed in the country. Audio records released by Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) feature two other defendants in involved in the Timur Mindich case saying during a conversation in Russian that "Sigismund (the name Galushchenko is referred to in the investigators’ tapes - TASS) is dreaming to slink off" and "is dreaming of going somewhere as an ambassador."

NABU said on February 16 that charges of large-scale money laundering and involvement in a criminal organization had been brought against Galushchenko, who had testified as a witness in the Mindich case. The man was detained overnight to February 15 while trying to leave the country.

Mindich case

On November 10, 2025, NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) announced an investigation into a major corruption scheme in the energy sector, dubbed Operation Midas. According to the investigators, participants in the scheme had laundered around $100 million. Vladimir Zelensky’s close friend, businessman Timur Mindich was identified as the coordinator of the schemes. He left the country several hours before the searches began.

Searches were also conducted at the Energoatom energy company, Mindich and Galushchenko’s residences. On the same day, NABU began releasing recordings of conversations from Mindich’s apartment, which revealed discussions of corrupt practices. Investigators say the have some 1,000 hours of such audios.

The scandal around this case triggered resignations of several ministers, including Galushchenko, who was Justice Minister at that time. Apart from that, Zelensky friend and his office head Andrey Yermak was dismissed, causing a temporary collapse of the parliament’s work. Meanwhile, it was reported that the investigation into corruption schemes would continue, especially in the area of defense purchases, more names of senior officials may surface.