The Office of the Prosecutor General has sent an indictment to the court regarding the organizer and twenty of his accomplices, who, as part of a criminal organization, embezzled funds from depositors of a commercial bank.

In January 2025, they were exposed and notified of suspicion.

The investigation established that a former Minister of Coal Industry of Ukraine, a Deputy Minister of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine, as well as a former Member of Parliament of Ukraine, after acquiring a commercial bank, developed a criminal scheme to siphon off funds from the bank's depositors. He involved the Chairman and members of the board, the supervisory board, heads of structural divisions of the bank, private entrepreneurs, appraisers, and state registrars in the scheme.

The embezzlement of funds involved issuing knowingly non-repayable loans secured by non-existent assets. At the same time, the loan funds were funneled to enterprises controlled by the beneficial owner of the bank and were used by him to finance other business projects, including the construction of factories and combined heat and power plants, operational activities of a coal mine, and the purchase of luxury cars and real estate.

Additionally, employees of the bank's security department annually prepared inspection reports on the existence and liquidity of non-existent collateral, specifically large premises allegedly located in central areas of Kyiv and Kharkiv.

The lack of collateral and actual fulfillment of loan agreements led to the bank being declared insolvent in 2021, unable to meet its financial obligations to its clients and settle payment orders.

Illegal activities have been documented against 27 individuals who were part of the criminal organization at various times. The investigation has been suspended regarding 5 suspects due to their being wanted, and the proceedings against 1 individual have been closed due to their death.

The actions of the mentioned individuals have been qualified as the creation, leadership, and participation in a criminal organization, embezzlement of property through abuse of office, official forgery, and money laundering obtained through criminal means (Part 1 of Article 255, Part 3 of Article 27, Part 4 of Article 28, Part 5 of Article 191, Part 3 of Article 27, Part 4 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 366, Part 3 of Article 27, Part 4 of Article 28, Part 3 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

To compensate for the damages caused, 12 apartments of the suspects in the capital, 5 private houses in downtown Kyiv with a total area of over 2000 square meters, land plots, 12 luxury cars, 12 parking spaces, and corporate rights in the charter capital of companies affiliated with the suspects have been seized.

The maximum penalty for the committed crime is 12 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property.

The pre-trial investigation was conducted by investigators of the Main Investigative Department of the National Police of Ukraine with operational support from the Department of Strategic Investigations of the National Police of Ukraine.

Note: According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in a lawful manner and established by a court verdict.