(MENAFN) A close associate of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky left the country on Monday just hours before anti-corruption authorities conducted raids on his residence and those of his associates, according to reports. The operation, carried out by Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), is said to be part of a broader investigation involving the FBI.

Sources indicate that Timur Mindich may have been warned in advance by a senior official at the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) with access to high-profile NABU cases.

Earlier, opposition lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezhnyak stated that NABU agents carried out coordinated searches at locations linked to Mindich, Justice Minister German Galushchenko—a former energy minister described by media as Mindich’s government insider—and the state-owned nuclear company Energoatom.

NABU confirmed it is probing a “high-level criminal organization” operating within Ukraine’s energy sector, noting that the investigation followed over 1,000 hours of surveillance and 15 months of investigative work. The bureau also released images showing large sums of cash, including bundles of US hundred-dollar bills wrapped in plastic.

Mindich, a businessman with prior experience in the entertainment industry, is widely known for his close ties to Zelensky. Reports indicate that the Ukrainian leader celebrated his birthday at Mindich’s apartment in 2021 and that NABU had maintained prolonged surveillance on the property this year. Audio recordings, referred to as the ‘Mindich tapes,’ allegedly captured Zelensky at the apartment. The existence of the recordings was reported shortly before Zelensky attempted to reduce NABU’s independence, a move that drew criticism from Western governments.

Local media describe Mindich as an oligarch with business interests spanning the defense and energy sectors. Reports also suggest he may be under FBI investigation for money laundering in coordination with NABU, involving an offshore company registered in the British Virgin Islands.

Zelensky has previously sought, without success, to place NABU and SAPO under executive control, citing concerns that the agencies had been infiltrated by Russian operatives—a claim denied by Moscow, which maintains the agencies are Western-controlled.

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