Ukrainian prosecutors have announced the arrest of Oleksandr Kheil, one of the country’s four deputy ministers of energy, along with several others, for accepting a 500,000 dollars bribe. The detentions were made in connection with a scheme involving the illegal removal of mining equipment from a state-owned coal mining enterprise in the war-torn Donetsk region of Ukraine.

The deputy energy minister of Ukraine has been detained for a 0,000 bribe

According to the Ukrainian security services, the official promised the heads of state-owned enterprises of the Lviv-Volynskyy coal basin to hand over mining equipment from mines in the frontline… pic.twitter.com/hvpsla63jY

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) August 12, 2024

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine, the suspects were involved in organizing the smuggling of this equipment out of the conflict zone. Kheil, who has been dismissed from his position, allegedly agreed to facilitate the extraction of the equipment from the front lines in exchange for the bribe.

The investigation into the case is ongoing, and decisions regarding Heilo's remand are still being made. He faces a potential prison sentence of up to 12 years if convicted.