Koretskyi Orders Sale of Sense Bank, Pledges Sale Revenue to Ukraine’s Defense Forces
Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said the Ministry of Finance has been given a task to accelerate the sale of Sense Bank through a transparent and competitive process, after anti-graft agencies announced a new probe dubbed “Forrest Gump” and searched the bank’s premises on Wednesday, Aug. 19. Revenue from the sale will be directed to the country’s Defense Forces.
Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi has announced that the Ministry of Finance will speed up the sale of Sense Bank, with proceeds pledged to Ukraine's Defense Forces. This sale, which must be conducted transparently and competitively, follows a request from authorities to address accumulated issues and enhance the bank's corporate governance.
Sense Bank, formerly Alfa-Bank Ukraine, is one of Ukraine's largest systemically important lenders and has been state-owned since July 2023, after its Russian owners faced sanctions. The Prime Minister issued this directive in response to a new investigation, dubbed "Forrest Gump," launched by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.
This probe is aimed at uncovering the laundering of 150 million hryvnias ($3.3 million) through Sense Bank to bail out former Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko and other individuals in the "Midas" corruption case. The Prime Minister emphasized that trust is essential for a state financial institution to function properly. The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has also taken steps, including interviewing management board chairman Oleh Stupak and reviewing the supervisory board's suitability, as part of enhanced supervision of the bank.
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