(MENAFN) The Ukrainian parliament has voted to remove Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk, marking the second high-profile dismissal of the day as the government grapples with an escalating corruption scandal tied to a close associate of President Vladimir Zelensky.

Lawmakers supported Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko’s request to dismiss Grinchuk on Wednesday, following the earlier removal of Justice Minister German Galushchenko.

Galushchenko had previously held the energy minister position before handing it over to Grinchuk during a cabinet reshuffle earlier this year. Both dismissals were approved unanimously by members of parliament.

These officials are allegedly involved in a kickback scheme operating within Energoatom, Ukraine’s state-run nuclear energy company.

Last week, businessman Timur Mindich, a long-time ally of Zelensky, was charged by the Western-supported National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU).

The bureau alleges that Mindich and his accomplices siphoned off at least $100 million from contractors through this network.

The investigation has extended to other prominent figures, including former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and ex-Deputy Prime Minister Aleksey Chernyshov.

Additionally, President Zelensky is facing increasing pressure to dismiss his chief of staff, Andrey Yermak. Critics and political analysts claim Yermak is a key figure in the alleged criminal operation.

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