NABU declares ex-NBU Governor Shevchenko wanted in Ukrgazbank case

MOSCOW. Oct 24 (Interfax) - The National Anticorruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has declared three people, including former National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Governor Kirill Shevchenko, wanted as part of the Ukrgazbank investigation.

"NABU is looking for three officers of Ukrgazbank responsible for embezzling over 200 million hryvni. These are a former Ukrgazbank board chairman, a deputy board chairman, and a deputy director of the department for corporate VIP clients in that government institution," Ukrainian media have reported with reference to the NABU press service.

Apart from Shevchenko, former NBU governor, who had served earlier as Ukrgazbank board chairman, NABU also declared wanted Deputy Board Chairman Denis Chernyshov and Deputy Director of the Department for Corporate VIP Clients Yelena Khmelenko.

Shevchenko, Chernyshov, and Khmelenko had been notified of being treated as suspects in early October in line with a special procedure, as their whereabouts had been unknown at the time. Since then, the suspects have ignored summons to the investigation, and therefore, all of them have been declared wanted, it said.

The Specialized Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office said it determined that, being aware that Ukrgazbank had concluded banking servicing contracts with major clients, the bank's management took advantage of this information to embezzle funds.

"To this end, officers from the bank secured the conclusion of fake contracts with individuals and legal entities who, supposedly acting as the bank's 'agents', attracted major clients to it. The bank unlawfully paid 'remuneration' to these individuals for such 'agent services'," the Specialized Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office said.

The investigation has concluded that the bank had unlawfully transferred over 206 million hryvni to 52 fictitious agents using this scheme in 2014-2020.

Shevchenko announced his resignation as NBU governor for health reasons on October 4. The Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada had appointed him to the post for a seven-year term on July 16, 2020. Prior to this, he had served as board chairman of the state-owned Ukrgazbank.

Shevchenko has dismissed all charges brought against him as "politically-motivated ones." Ukrainian media have reported Shevchenko is currently abroad to undergo medical treatment.

On October 7, 2022, the Verkhovna Rada appointed former Oshchadbank head Andrei Pyshny as NBU governor.