Ukraine’s government removed Mykola Hladyshenko as chairman of the supervisory board of state-owned Sense Bank on Wednesday, Aug. 19, and initiated the removal of the bank’s management board chairman under the new “Forrest Gump” probe.
Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi announced the decision in a Telegram statement, following Sense Bank’s earlier confirmation that law enforcement officials conducted investigative actions at its head office.
“The facts disclosed by anti-corruption bodies require proper evaluation and cannot go unanswered,” Koretskyi said, adding that “trust is a fundamental condition for the operation of a state financial institution.”
“Other bank officials named in the pre-trial investigation materials must face similar accountability,” he continued.
Probe targets lawmakers and presidential officials
Early Wednesday, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) announced a new probe dubbed “Forrest Gump.”
Very little information was released about the new probe, though the agencies revealed that the operation targets an alleged “criminal organization” involving a current and a former Ukrainian lawmaker, as well as senior officials from the Presidential Office.
NABU and SAPO claimed the operation uncovered a scheme in which participants laundered HR. 150 million ($3.3 million) through the state-owned bank to post bail for a suspect in a previous probe dubbed “Operation Midas,” Ukrainska Pravda reported.
The bail was reportedly posted for the former energy minister Herman Halushchenko at the end of June.
NABU detective Mykhailo Romaniuk described the scheme in a statement posted to the bureau’s YouTube channel, saying that the funds were moved through shell company accounts.
The bail was reportedly posted by four companies; Tetras Optima LLC, Hiran Konstrakt LLC, Skait Riteil LLC, and Pelet Servis LLC.
Individuals involved in the scheme were served with notices of suspicion under Article 209.3 of the Criminal Code, including former deputy head of the Presidential Office Iryna Mudra, former lawmaker Maksym Mykytas, Vadym Stolar – who belonged to the barred, pro-Russian “Opposition – For Life” party, chair of Sense Bank’s management board Oleh Stupak and Hladyshenko.
Investigators said the group gained effective control over Sense Bank’s accounts in early June and drew senior bank management into the scheme.
Bank tied to sanctioned Russian businessmen
Sense bank is tied to sanctioned Russian businessmen Mikhail Fridman, Andrey Kosogov, and Petr Aven.
“We are interested in finding out all the circumstances of this situation completely and objectively. Therefore, the bank cooperates with the authorized bodies and provides all the necessary information in the manner prescribed by law,” Sense Bank said in a statement.
According to Economic Pravda citing its own sources, NABU conducted searches at the suspended Hladyshenko’s office, hours before his removal.
The bank said that it would refrain from commenting on the details of the investigative actions, citing legal restrictions.
All banking services will continue to work as usual and will be available to customers, the statement read, adding that operational stability remains a priority.
Mudra ousted hours after probe was announced
Just hours after the probe’s announcement, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree, ousting the deputy head of the Presidential Office Iryna Mudra.
Mudra was a lawyer who worked for multiple banks before becoming the deputy justice minister in May 2022.
She was later promoted to the post of deputy head of the Presidential Office in March 2024 and took part in ratifying the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
During the searches, NABU and SAPO also claimed they have uncovered a document containing a crisis communication plan related to the activities of the Ukraine’s parliament, Verkhovna Rada’s temporary investigative commission.