21 Banks Used in Halushchenko’s Bail Payments, 4 of Them State Owned

Twenty-one banks, including four state-owned lenders, were used to channel funds for the Hr.150 million (roughly $3.3 million) bail posted for former Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko, Deputy Head of Ukraine’s State Financial Monitoring Service (SFMS) Bohdan Korolchuk told lawmakers. Speaking at a Wednesday, Sept. 2 meeting in Kyiv of the Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada’s Temporary Investigative Commission on Economic Security, Korolchuk said that the funds passed through roughly 85 accounts.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The four state-owned institutions involved were Sense Bank, Oschadbank, PrivatBank and Ukreximbank, according to Interfax-Ukraine. Transfers and monitoring The bail funds, according to Korolchuk, were transferred between June 25 and June 29. On June 30, the State Financial Monitoring Service prepared and provided priority materials to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), followed by additional information that included transaction chains and evidence underlying suspicions. The financial-monitoring agency had proactively sent inquiries to all 59 Ukrainian banks on Feb. 17, Korolchuk said. Transfers, however, are not monitored in real time, as the system processes more than 50 million transactions daily and institutions provide information on suspicious activity after transactions have occurred. According to Korolchuk, Hr. 14 million (about $313,804) had been stopped during the investigation. He said that banks may refuse or suspend suspicious transfers under Ukrainian law, noting that the SFMS can ask the National Bank of Ukraine to impose enforcement measures or sanctions when banks report transactions late or incompletely. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine’s New Defense Minister Tells Europe: $27B Needed Urgently European attendees said Ukraine is brave and surely deserves support against Russia, however, no formal aid commitments were announced at the informal defense ministers’ meeting. Sense Bank’s role According to Interfax-Ukraine citing lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak, Hr. 50 million (roughly $1.2 million) passed through Sense Bank accounts to the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC): Hr. 46 million (about $1 million) from Hiran Construct LLC and Hr.4 million (approximately $89,658) from Pellet Service LLC. The National Bank launched unscheduled inspections concerning potential interference in Sense Bank’s automated systems during the transactions. It later sought the removal of supervisory board chair Mykola Hladyshenko over independence requirements and moved to review the bank’s management. Formerly known as Alfa-Bank Ukraine, Sense Bank was nationalized in July 2023 following sanctions against its former Russian owners – Mikhail Fridman, Petr Aven and Andrey Kosogov. On Aug. 20, Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi ordered the Finance Ministry to sell the bank, with the proceeds intended for Ukraine’s Defense Forces. ‘Forrest Gump’ probe launched in August Nabu and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) announced a new anti-graft probe dubbed “Forrest Gump” on Aug. 19. Investigators alleged that a criminal organization laundered $3.3 million through controlled companies and Sense Bank accounts to post Halushchenko’s bail in the previous “Midas” corruption case. The probe has named senior bank officials, current and former lawmakers, as well as former officials from the Presidential Office. Reporting and court proceedings have linked the investigation to former deputy presidential chief Iryna Mudra – who was ousted just hours after the probe was announced, current lawmaker Vadym Stolar, former lawmaker Maksym Mykytas, former Sense Bank officials Hladyshenko and Oleh Stupak, and businessman Vasyl Astion, whose investigation is still ongoing. Halushchenko’s bail was reportedly paid at the end of June, after the HACC reduced the amount from Hr. 200 million (roughly $4.5 million) to Hr. million (approximately $3.4 million). Nina Savić is a Cultural Studies graduate with a strong focus on critical analysis of discourse and media. She is particularly drawn to stories and perspectives often overlooked or erased by mainstream narratives, and is passionate about giving a voice to those pushed to the margins.