Attempted billions of assets withdrawn from Sense Bank before nationalization
An attempt was made to withdraw billions of assets from "Sense Bank" before nationalization (Vitaliy Nosach, RBC-Ukraine).
According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, law enforcement agencies have thwarted attempts to move billions of assets abroad from "Sens Bank" prior to its nationalization.
"Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine's territory by the Russian Federation, the bank owners, fearing sanctions, began seeking illegal ways to withdraw assets," the message says.
To gain access to the bank's profits, they planned to transfer their ownership shares in the management of the financial institution to controlled individuals. Subsequently, they aimed to siphon off billions of capital outside Ukraine using the names of these "new" beneficiaries.
"Furthermore, in order to cover their tracks, the Russian owners intended to force the bank into artificial bankruptcy, which would pose a threat to the stable functioning of the country's banking system," the Office of the Prosecutor General added.
Sources in law enforcement agencies confirmed that "Sens Bank" is the subject of the investigation.
During the searches conducted at the bank's headquarters and the residences of its top management, documents containing evidence of illicit activities were discovered.
To prevent damage to Ukraine's financial stability, the National Bank of Ukraine decided to remove the systemically important bank from the market and transfer it to state ownership.
A pre-trial investigation into financing actions aimed at changing the borders of Ukraine's territory or state border is being conducted by the Main Investigation Department of the Security Service of Ukraine in collaboration with the National Bank of Ukraine (Article 110-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
"Sense Bank"
On July 20, the National Bank decided to transfer ownership of "Sens Bank" (formerly known as "Alfa-Bank") to the state. It is owned by Russian oligarchs under sanctions, namely Mikhail Fridman, Petr Aven, and Andrey Kostin. The Cabinet of Ministers approved the nationalization of "Sense Bank" the following day. Subsequently, the Ministry of Finance will act as the corporate rights' management body for the bank's shares. On July 22, "Sense Bank" officially became state-owned.
