Zelenskyy’s ex-chief of staff appears in court in money-laundering case

Andriy Yermak is suspected in an alleged $10.5m money-laundering scheme involving a luxury real estate development.A former top aide to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appeared in court as prosecutors seek his arrest on charges of involvement in a multimillion-dollar money laundering scheme.Prosecutors allege that Yermak, 54, funnelled about 460 million Ukrainian hryvnias ($10.5m) into a high-end Dynasty housing complex in Kozyn, near Kyiv.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Ukraine hits Russia’s distant gas facilities after Moscow’s attacks kill 6list 2 of 4Israel sent Iron Dome anti-missile batteries and personnel to UAE: US envoylist 3 of 4Trump-Xi meeting: Could China, US form a ‘G2’?list 4 of 4Zelenskyy says Russia fired over 200 drones at Ukraine as truce expiresend of listInvestigators suspect that funds used in the development may have originated from corruption at Energoatom, Ukraine’s state nuclear energy company.The prosecution has asked the court to remand Yermak in custody, with bail set at 180 million Ukrainian hryvnias ($4m).Yermak denied the allegations.The hearing is due to resume on Wednesday.“The notice of suspicion is unfounded,” Yermak wrote on Telegram following Tuesday’s proceedings. “As a lawyer with more than 30 years of experience, I have always been guided by the law. And now I will likewise defend my rights, my name, and my reputation.”Earlier, during a break in proceedings, he told reporters: “I own only one apartment and one car.”The case is part of a broader anticorruption operation, dubbed “Midas”, led by the Ukraine" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="126215" data-entity-type="organization">National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). The operation was unveiled last November, when Timur Mindich, a former business associate of Zelenskyy, was accused of orchestrating a $100m kickback scheme at Energaotom.Mindich, who denies the allegations, has fled to Israel.Prosecutors said Mindich and several other senior officials, including former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Chernyshov, are “implicated” in the Dynasty case.