KYIV. Nov 29 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Key shareholder in bank Veles (Kyiv) and Head of Kyiv regional organization of Batkivschyna Party Kostiantyn Bondarev seeks to appeal to Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) to charge Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Valeriya Gontareva with a crime, claiming she caused damaged to the owners of the financial institution.

"We will appeal to court over Gontareva's statements about the bank last week. We would appeal to PGO asking to charge the NBU chief with a crime: first, over her statement that she does not plan to execute the decision of higher administrative court of Ukraine, which declared the decision to liquidate the bank unlawful and secondly, for damage caused to the shareholders. The state will have to compensate these expenses. The shareholders will apply to court asking for compensation. It is impossible to restore this bank after all actions against it," he said.

Bondarev recalled that higher administrative court of Kyiv on November 16 satisfied his counterclaim declaring unlawful the NBU Board's resolution dated December 10, 2015 to annul the bank's license.

Bondarev believes that the NBU's decision to liquidate the bank was politically motivated aimed at influencing the opposition.

"The bank was liquidated at once after local council election when Batkivschyna Party was ahead of Petro Poroshenko Bloc in Kyiv region and Cherkasy," he said.

Bondarev also said that the NBU's actions to establish transparency of the owners' structure are corrupt. The issue can be settled via companies controlled by NBU managers.

As reported, Gontareva last week called on law enforcement agencies to study the attempts of Soyuz and Veles banks (both based in Kyiv) to resume their activities, contrary to the NBU decision on their liquidation.

The NBU head said Bank Veles is among the "dirtiest" banks closed down by the NBU.