Court sets $363,000 bail for former Sense Bank chief

Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court has imposed a $363,000 bail on Oleksii Stupak, the former chairman of state-owned Sense Bank, according to Suspilne public broadcaster on September 2. The court's decision was more lenient than prosecutors' request for UAH150 million ($3.63 million) bail. Stupak is now barred from leaving Kyiv and the Kyiv region without permission from detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).

He is also restricted from communicating with government officials, representatives of the National Bank of Ukraine, and other individuals involved in the case. Stupak must report any residence changes, surrender his international passports, avoid bank premises, and wear an electronic monitoring bracelet. Prosecutors alleged that Stupak had traveled abroad 30 times during the Russian invasion and lacked strong ties to Ukraine, suggesting he could flee from investigators.

Stupak's defense argued that all his trips were work-related. NABU accuses Stupak of money laundering through the operation code-named Operation Forrest Gump, which involved Sense Bank as a conduit for funds intended to secure bail for ex-energy minister Herman Halushchenko, who faced corruption charges.