Anti-corruption raid puts pressure on Zelenskyy's office over deputy aide
Ukraine's anti-corruption bureau searched the office of a presidential administration deputy head, reported to be Iryna Mudra, amid a money-laundering investigation. The case is linked to funding bail for a former minister at the center of last year's Midas scandal.
Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) announced on Wednesday a new investigation targeting an alleged criminal organization involving current and former lawmakers, along with senior officials within President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's administration. The searches were conducted jointly with the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP).
Operation Forrest Gump
The probe, codenamed Operation Forrest Gump, alleges the group laundered roughly 150 million Ukrainian hryvnia — around $3 million — through the state-owned Sense Bank. Investigators say the funds were used to cover bail for former Energy Minister German Galushchenko, a central figure in last year's $100 million Midas corruption scandal.
While NABU's video statement did not directly name Iryna Mudra, referring only to "a deputy head of the president's administration," investigators searched her office as part of the operation.
Recordings released
The anti-corruption watchdog released audio recordings featuring a woman identified in the video only as a deputy head of the president's office. In the recording, she is heard saying: "Fighting corruption is a wrong approach ... Corruption has to be systemized and controlled." NABU did not name her.
Mudra did not respond to POLITICO's request for comment. The raid adds further pressure on Zelenskyy's office, which has already faced scrutiny over corruption cases involving senior officials.
