A prosecutor from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) is asking that a preventive measure of detention be chosen for Oleksiy Stupak, chairman of the board of state-owned Sense Bank, with an alternative of UAH 150 million bail.
The prosecutor justified the need for detention by citing, in the prosecution’s view, high risks that could not be prevented by applying a milder preventive measure. Among other things, he referred to the alleged use of the state bank in the private interests of a group of individuals and disregard for financial monitoring principles.
The prosecutor explained the amount of the alternative bail by Stupak’s property status. According to him, the suspect’s assets, according to the prosecution’s materials, exceed UAH 150 million, so a smaller bail amount would not be a sufficient deterrent.
As reported, as part of the NABU and SAPO operation "Forrest Gump," law enforcement officers are investigating the circumstances of the posting of UAH 150 million in bail for former Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko. Sense Bank features in the investigation materials, as some of the relevant transactions were conducted through its accounts.
On August 19, Yaroslav Zhelezniak, head of the Verkhovna Rada’s temporary investigative commission, citing materials from a NABU detective’s motion, disclosed details of the movement of funds used for the bail. According to the data he presented, UAH 50 million was transferred directly from accounts at Sense Bank to a HACC account: UAH 46 million from Hiran Construct LLC and UAH 4 million from Pellet Service LLC.
After this, the National Bank announced unscheduled inspections of Sense Bank regarding possible interference in its automated system during these transactions. The regulator is to establish the circumstances of possible interference, facts of relevant instructions being given by the bank’s management to employees, and compliance with financial monitoring legislation requirements.
The regulator also summoned Sense Bank board chairman Oleksiy Stupak to a qualification commission meeting on August 26 for an interview on his professional fitness, and supported the government’s initiative to suspend him from his position for the duration of the internal investigation.
