TWO national agencies in Ukraine have named President Volodymyr Zelensky’s former chief of staff as an official suspect in a major corruption investigation.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office announced on Monday night that Andriy Yermak is suspected of involvement in an alleged 460-million-hryvnia (around £7.7m) money laundering scheme.

Investigators announced on the Telegram messaging app that the investigation was ongoing.

The move is a step short of formally charging Mr Yermak, who resigned in November. 

He was the country’s lead negotiator in talks with the United States but left amid the scandal that posed the biggest threat to Mr Zelensky’s government since Russia’s invasion.

The investigation is deeply embarrassing for the Ukrainian leader as he pushes for his country to be admitted to the European Union, a process which is likely to take years. 

Endemic corruption in Ukraine is one of the problems obstructing its EU drive.

Mr Yermak was a very close confidant of the president and a powerful figure in the government. Mr Zelensky fiercely resisted persistent pressure to replace him.

The president made no public comment on the anti-corruption agencies’ announcement, but his press officer Dmytro Lytvyn said that “the investigation is ongoing, it’s early to draw conclusions.”

Investigators said Mr Yermak is suspected of being involved in laundering money through construction projects near the capital Kiev. They searched his home in November.

A decision on whether to bring formal charges against Mr Yermak could still take months.

At the time of his resignation, Mr Zelensky said he was rebooting the presidential office and thanked Mr Yermak for his work on the peace negotiations.