Sense Bank Confirms Investigative Actions Following Corruption Probe

Sense Bank disclosed on August 19 that law enforcement agencies conducted investigations at its headquarters following an anti-corruption operation called "Forrest Gump." The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) allege that the operation uncovered a scheme involving the laundering of 150 million hryvnias ($3.3 million) through Sense Bank to post bail for a suspect in a previous probe known as "Operation Midas."

Sense Bank emphasized its commitment to cooperating with authorized bodies and providing necessary information lawfully.

According to Ukrainska Pravda, NABU searched the office of suspended supervisory board chairman Mykola Hladyshenko. The bank declined to comment on the specifics of the investigations due to legal constraints and assured that banking services would continue uninterrupted. The bail was reportedly posted in late June for former energy minister Herman Halushchenko, who used four shell companies—Tetras Optima LLC, Hiran Konstrakt LLC, Skait Riteil LLC, and Pelet Servis LLC—for the transactions.

Individuals implicated in the scheme included former deputy head of the Presidential Office Iryna Mudra, ex-lawmaker Maksym Mykytas, pro-Russian opposition member Vadym Stolar, Sense Bank's CEO Oleh Stupak, and Hladyshenko. Mudra, who assisted in ratifying the International Criminal Court's Rome Statute, was ousted by President Volodymyr Zelensky shortly after the probe's announcement.

The investigators claimed they discovered a crisis communication plan related to the Ukraine's parliament, Verkhovna Rada's temporary investigative commission, during the searches.