A suspect in the ‘Midas’ case has been served with a new charge relating to property in Bali and a Mercedes
This has been reported by NABU.
According to the investigation, between 2023 and 2025, the suspect laundered over 30 million hryvnias, which, according to NABU and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), were obtained through a criminal scheme at Energoatom.
This refers to a scheme known as ‘shlagbaum’. According to investigators, it was used to obtain funds from Energoatom’s contractors. This part of the case was uncovered in the autumn of 2025 as part of Operation ‘Midas’.
The new allegation concerns the laundering of assets obtained by criminal means. The charge falls under Part 3 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
What assets are mentioned in the investigation?
NABU states that the former official used the laundered funds to purchase two luxury Mercedes-Benz cars with a total value of over 8 million hryvnias.
Furthermore, according to the investigation, he purchased high-end property in Ukraine and on the Indonesian island of Bali. The total value of this property is equivalent to over 19 million hryvnias.
The case also mentions expensive luxury items. Detectives claim that the suspect used cryptocurrency to conceal financial transactions and registered the assets in the name of a close associate.
Who is ‘Tenor’?
Officially, NABU does not disclose the suspect’s real name in this statement. In the press release, he is referred to by the pseudonym ‘Tenor’.
However, in Transparency International Ukraine’s VAKS case tracker, in case No. 52025000000000472 ‘Tenor’ is identified as Dmytro Basov — the former executive director for physical protection and security at JSC ‘NAEK “Energoatom”’. Other participants in the ‘Midas’ case also appear in the same tracker, notably ‘Carlson’ and ‘Rocket’. This is evidenced by data from the VAKS tracker.
What is known about the ‘shlagbaum’ scheme
Operation “Midas” was carried out by the NABU and the SAP in November 2025. At the time, detectives announced the dismantling of a high-level criminal organisation which, according to the investigation, was operating in the energy sector.
According to NABU, those involved in the scheme demanded 10–15 per cent of the contract value from Energoatom’s contractors. The money was allegedly to be paid to ensure that suppliers’ payments for work carried out or goods supplied were not blocked and that they were not stripped of their supplier status.
NABU also reported that, during the period under investigation, around $100 million passed through the so-called ‘money-laundering scheme’. The operation lasted over 15 months, and in the final stage, more than 70 searches were carried out in Kyiv and the regions.
Who else is implicated in the case
In November 2025, ‘Tenor’, ‘Rocket’ and five other individuals were first named as suspects as part of Operation ‘Midas’.
Subsequently, according to the NABU, the former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy of Ukraine were added to the list of suspects. The names of these individuals are not specified in the notice of new charges against ‘Tenor’.
The investigation into the case is ongoing.
The new charge broadens the scope of the ‘Midas’ case in relation to money laundering. The investigation must now prove that the property in question was acquired using funds of criminal origin.
In accordance with the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent until their guilt has been proven in accordance with the law and established by a court conviction.
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