A minor shareholder and previously head of the supervisory council of VAB Bank, Serhiy Maksymov, has categorically denied owning British companies and Ukrainian assets that, according to the bank, the court has arrested to satisfy its claim against Maksymov.

"This whole story with the High Court in London is the same farce as all the previous ones... I hear the names of these British companies for the first time and, according to the appeal to the London court, these companies also know nothing about their Ukrainian assets," he said in a statement, accusing bank board chairman Denys Maltsev of fraud.

Maksymov said he had not seen the text of the document the board chairman referred to. At the same time, he said that British lawyers in their comments reported on the imposition of restrictions on the business activities of British-based Rightport Trade Limited, Simex Projects Limited and Swedlux Trading Limited, including a ban on them performing any actions regarding Ukrainian assets specified by Maltsev.

"I hope that in creating such a false construction to bind the Ukrainian situation to London and giving knowingly false information to the court, Maltsev is aware of the consequences of the fraud in terms of material and criminal responsibility, and he has enough money to pay for the damage caused to the Englishmen," reads the statement.