The National Bank’s committee on banking supervision and regulation has ruled that Sense Bank supervisory board chairman Mykola Hladyshenko fails to meet legally established independence requirements, and the National Bank has also opened administrative proceedings to assess the supervisory board’s collective unfitness.
"This means Mykola Hladyshenko cannot be a member of the supervisory board, and his powers must be terminated. We’re talking about termination, not suspension ... The outcome of these administrative proceedings will determine the consequences for the entire composition of the supervisory board," National Bank Governor Andriy Pyshnyy explained overnight into Thursday.
As reported, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) released information on Wednesday about the "Forrest Gump" special operation, under which they issued notices of suspicion to individuals who, according to the investigation, used Sense Bank, with the assistance of its supervisory board chairman and management board chairman, to legalize UAH 150 million to pay bail for former Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko.
According to Pyshnyy, the National Bank has demanded that the bank’s shareholder immediately take steps to terminate Hladyshenko’s powers as a supervisory board member and elect a new board member.
Regarding the entire supervisory board, the released materials give grounds to believe that Hladyshenko’s self-removal was only formal in nature and that he in fact continued to influence the bank’s operations, the NBU governor said.
"The supervisory board’s inability to properly respond to this situation raises doubts about its members’ ability to ensure proper oversight of the bank’s operations and to effectively perform their duties," Pyshnyy said, explaining the basis for the administrative proceedings.
He stressed that the National Bank would examine all newly revealed facts and cooperate with law enforcement, and that work on further decisions is continuing.
The regulator’s head recalled that after the release in May 2026 of materials known as the "Mindich tapes," the NBU had initiated a review of whether Sense Bank’s supervisory board chairman met legally established independence criteria and opened corresponding administrative proceedings. Pyshnyy said the materials released at that time were not sufficient grounds for a regulatory decision, and that NABU and SAPO had declined the National Bank’s request to share pre-trial investigation materials. Given these circumstances, the NBU continued its own review within its supervisory powers, during which Hladyshenko reportedly stepped back from his duties on his own initiative.
As reported, the Verkhovna Rada summoned Pyshnyy on Wednesday to report to parliament on Thursday about the situation surrounding Sense Bank.
