Major shareholder and non-executive director of the mining company Ferrexpo Kostiantyn Zhevaho, in respect of whom the French court ruled on extradition arrest on Thursday, is leaving the board of directors of Ferrexpo.

"The board of directors has been informed that Mr. Zhevaho is ready to step down immediately from the board of Ferrexpo plc. The board of directors is taking steps to formally document his resignation and will keep the market informed as necessary," the company said in a stock announcement on Thursday.

It states that since the news on Zhevaho's detention came to light the day before, the board meets regularly, seeks advice from outside consultants, and contacts representatives and members of Zhevaho's family in an attempt to clarify his current situation.

As reported, the detention of Zhevaho in Courchevel in France with a view to subsequent extradition to Ukraine became known on December 28.

"You know that he is a defendant in several criminal proceedings at the SBI. Documents for extradition are being prepared now," Tetiana Sapyan, the communications adviser for the SBI, said on the air of the Ukrainian telethon.

The State Bureau of Investigation reminded that as part of the investigation of the criminal proceedings, Zhevaho, a shareholder of Bank Finance and Credit, was notified of suspicion of committing criminal offenses under Part 3 of Article 27, Part 5 of Article 191, Part 3 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Suspicions were also brought against a number of top managers of the specified bank.