Ukraine's farm minister named as suspect in corruption case, Kyiv media reports

The National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine said in a statement that it had uncovered a scheme led by a current minister to illegally acquire state-owned land worth 291 million hryvnia ($7.35 million). The statement did not name Solsky, but said the suspect was the former chairman of the parliamentary agrarian committee, a post Solsky held before becoming agriculture minister in March 2022.

Ukraine's anti-corruption agency is treating Agriculture Minister Mykola Solsky as a suspect in an investigation into the illegal acquisition of state-owned land worth about $7 million, Ukrainian media reported on Tuesday.

The minister and his ministry declined immediate comment when contacted by Reuters. Solsky has overseen the embattled grain industry during the war with Russia since his appointment in March 2022. The National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine said in a statement that it had uncovered a scheme led by a current minister to illegally acquire state-owned land worth 291 million hryvnia ($7.35 million).

The statement did not name Solsky, but said the suspect was the former chairman of the parliamentary agrarian committee, a post Solsky held before becoming agriculture minister in March 2022. The statement said the scheme also involved an additional attempt to acquire land worth 190 million hryvnia.

If confirmed, Solsky would be the first known government minister under President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to be named as a suspect in a corruption case. The reports come amid mounting speculation about an impending government reshuffle. ($1 = 39.6001 hryvnias)

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