German Valeriiovych Galushchenko is a Ukrainian lawyer who most recently served as the Minister of Justice of Ukraine from 17 July to 19 November 2025. He previously served as the Minister of Energy of Ukraine from 29 April 2021 to 17 July 2025 in the government of Denys Shmyhal. He is also a member of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine since 13 May 2021.
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Halushchenko left the energy portfolio in July 2025 and subsequently served as Ukraine’s minister of justice. During November 2025, investigators disclosed a suspected corruption organization associated with the state-owned energy sector. In its 11 November statement on Operation Midas (opens in a new tab), the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine said that current and former officials and other alleged participants had influenced strategic companies, including Energoatom, to obtain illicit benefits and launder money. This was the investigators’ description of an alleged scheme, not a court finding about guilt by every person later named in coverage.
The response quickly reached government level. On 12 November 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers announced Halushchenko’s suspension (opens in a new tab) from his duties as justice minister, assigning the acting role to deputy minister Liudmyla Suhak. Suspension is a formal administrative step, distinct from conviction. On 19 November the government reported that parliament dismissed him (opens in a new tab), with 323 lawmakers voting for the decision. His removal demonstrated the political costs of an integrity crisis during a war but did not resolve the legal allegations against the former minister.
The investigation developed further in February 2026. NABU’s statement dated 16 February (opens in a new tab) said detectives had detained an ex-energy minister who had held office from 2021 to 2025 and notified him of suspicion in relation to money laundering and participation in a criminal organization. The bureau described a financing structure reportedly created in Anguilla and outlined alleged transactions under investigation. Because NABU’s public release identifies the official by previous office rather than giving a complete judicial narrative, claims about particular sums or assets should remain attributed to detectives and should not be recast as a final determination of Halushchenko’s personal criminal liability.
The official release expressly reminds readers that Ukrainian law presumes innocence until guilt is established through a lawful court judgment. That safeguard has practical force: a suspect’s detention, notice of suspicion and removal from office are separate acts with different legal meanings. The ministry appointment recorded in 2021 (opens in a new tab), the independently documented November 2025 parliamentary dismissal (opens in a new tab), and the later law-enforcement statement form an observable sequence. Together they reveal the importance of procurement integrity and politically accountable supervision of essential infrastructure, while leaving unresolved matters for the legal process rather than writing an editorial verdict in its place.
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