Ukraine’s Former Central Bank Chief Declared Wanted

Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) has placed on the wanted list three officials of JSC Ukrgasbank who, according to investigators, are suspected of the embezzlement of more than UAH 200 million.

Kyrylo Shevchenko, the former governor of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), is among the three suspects in the case, the agency’s press service said on Telegram.

According to the report, the three suspects are the chairman of the board of Ukrgasbank, one of the deputies of Ukrgasbank and a deputy director of the bank’s department for work with corporate VIP clients.

“They were declared suspects back in early October, but under a special procedure, because the whereabouts of these individuals was unknown. Since then, the suspects have ignored calls to visit the investigator, which is why they were put on the wanted list,” the report said.

NABU released photos of the wanted persons involved in the case, among them former NBU Governor Kyrylo Shevchenko and former Ukrgasbank officials – Denys Chernyshov and Olena Khmelenko.

Shevchenko was declared a suspect on October 6.

Shevchenko was charged with setting up a scheme during 2014-2020 as the head of the state-owned JSC Ukrgasbank, which led to losses of more than UAH 206 million. In total, five individuals, including former and current high-ranking officials of banking institutions, were notified of suspicion in the case.

It was established that Ukrgasbank’s management, having at their disposal information about banking service contracts concluded with large clients, used it to embezzle funds.

To this end, the bank’s officials ensured the conclusion of fictitious contracts with individuals and legal entities who, allegedly being “agents” of the bank, attracted large clients to it. The bank illegally paid monthly “remuneration” to these persons for “agency services.”

The inquiry established that 2014 through 2020, under the said scheme, funds of the state-owned bank in the amount of more than UAH 206 million were unjustifiably transferred to 52 fictitious agents.