Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities on Monday accused a former energy minister of laundering millions of dollars in alleged kickbacks, intensifying a high-profile corruption investigation that has rattled the country’s wartime leadership. The move came a day after he was detained while attempting to leave Ukraine.

German Galushchenko, who served as energy minister from 2021 to 2025 and briefly as justice minister before resigning last year amid the scandal, is among the most senior figures detained in the so-called “Midas” case. Prosecutors allege the scheme involved roughly $100 million in kickbacks linked to Ukraine’s state nuclear energy company.

Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and its prosecutorial partner, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), said Galushchenko was “exposed for money laundering and participation in a criminal organization.” Investigators allege that more than $7 million was transferred to foreign accounts listing his wife and four children as beneficiaries. According to NABU, some of the funds were used to pay for the children’s education at elite schools in Switzerland, while other sums were placed in deposits that generated additional income for the family.

Galushchenko has denied any wrongdoing. He did not respond to a request for comment, and it was not immediately clear who is representing him legally.

Authorities said Sunday that he was detained “while crossing the state border,” though they did not disclose the specific location.

The “Midas” investigation has implicated senior officials and prominent business figures, including a former associate of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from his pre-political media career. Prosecutors allege participants in the scheme pressured contractors working with the state nuclear company Energoatom to pay bribes in exchange for completing projects, including protective infrastructure designed to shield energy facilities from Russian airstrikes.

Prosecutors have previously identified Timur Mindich, a former Zelenskyy associate who founded the television studio behind the sitcom that launched Zelenskyy’s acting career, as the alleged organizer of the scheme. Mindich fled to Israel before he could be arrested in November and has denied the allegations.

The case has drawn scrutiny from Ukraine’s Western allies, who have pressed Kyiv to maintain strict anti-corruption standards as it continues to receive military and financial support during the war with Russia.