SBU accuses Ukrgasbank's former co-owner, deputy chairman of fraud
One of the former private owners of nationalized Ukrgasbank and a former deputy chairman of the bank's board hacked the bank's database to withdraw property from collateral and removed restrictions on its sale, the SBU Security Service of Ukraine said.
"The state-owned bank had two plots of land worth almost UAH 55 million in Kyiv put up as collateral. Acting by proxy from commercial structures owning the plots, the two criminals attempted to sell one plot and used the other to get a mortgage," the SBU's press center said.
The SBU jointly with the prosecutors and police managed to prevent the deals, the property was returned to the bank.
"The investigation is under way to bring the organizers of the deal with state-owned property to responsibility," the SBU said without giving more details.
Co-owner of Ukrgasbank Vasyl Gorbal wrote on Facebook that the case concerns Oleksiy Omelyanenko and deputy chairman Valeriy Tkachenko and a building with 5,000 square meters on Staronavodnytska Street in Kyiv.
Gorbal posted a copy of excerpted document No. 42015100010000360 from the criminal case, saying that the claim was filed early in November 2015 under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Omelyanenko in turn claims he knows nothing about any investigation by the SBU against him. He sent a letter to Interfax-Ukraine, pointing to the inconsistency of the information provided by the SBU and Gorbal.
The SBU reported about two plots of land, while Gorbal mentions a building on Staronavodnytska, Omelyanenko said.
He also writes that the documents provided by Gorbal mention plot No. 8000000000: 82: 034: 0005 according to the Ukrainian cadastre, while the cadastre has no plot of land or a building on Staronavodnytska Street under this number.
"In addition, I'd like to note that we've been in long litigation with Vasyl Gorbal over the subject of our former business relations. I think that the author of the Facebook post Gorbal explicitly uses manipulative information to put pressure on me and promote himself," Omelyanenko said in the letter.
Ukrgasbank was created in 1993. As of October 2015 the state had 94.9409% of its shares.
Ukrgasbank ranked 11th among 123 operating banks in the country by total assets estimated at UAH 34.044 billion as of October 1, 2015, according to the National Bank of Ukraine.
