Anti-corruption agency searches Ukraine's central bank chief

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include comments from the head of Ukraine's central bank.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) on Oct. 21 searched the premises of Andriy Pyshnyi, head of the National Bank of Ukraine, a law enforcement source told the Kyiv Independent.

Pyshnyi confirmed the reports later that day, adding that he would continue to serve as central bank head.

The NABU said in a statement that it is "conducting searches at the National Bank of Ukraine and at the home of one of its employees."

"No one has been detained or charged," the bureau said. "No further details are being disclosed to protect the confidentiality of the pretrial investigation."

The National Bank of Ukraine confirmed the reports and said that "further explanations will be provided once the procedural actions are complete." The central bank said it "continues to operate as usual."

It is not clear in what case Pyshnyi is being investigated.

According to Pyshnyi, the investigation is unrelated to the National Bank of Ukraine or his work as its chief.

"The investigation was looking for evidence in a case involving different circumstances and individuals. The searches uncovered nothing to suggest that I or any central bank officials had committed any offenses," he wrote on Facebook.

"I respect the work of NABU and SAPO, support the independence of anti-corruption bodies, and am ready to cooperate fully with the investigation within the law."

The National Bank of Ukraine has faced criticism for failing to prevent a Hr 150 million ($3.4 million) payment through state-owned Sense Bank allegedly funded with laundered money and posted as bail for ex-Energy and Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko in June. The central bank has also been lambasted for failing to address the issue of alleged criminal schemes involving Sense Bank in general.

President Volodymyr Zelensky's ex-Deputy Chief of Staff Iryna Mudra, Sense Bank CEO Oleksiy Stupak, the bank's former supervisory board head Mykola Hladyshchenko, and other suspects were charged in August with laundering money to post bail for Halushchenko through Sense Bank.

Halushchenko was charged in February as part of last year’s probe into state nuclear power monopoly Energoatom — the largest corruption investigation of Zelensky’s tenure.

A person matching the description of Zelensky's Chief of Staff Kyrylo Budanov allegedly asked Mudra to launder cash to pay bail for Halushchenko, according to the leaked text of the charges against Mudra published by the media outlet Bihus.info on Sept. 15.

Furthermore, an alleged transcript of the Anti-Corruption Bureau's tapes leaked to the media outlet Hromadske in August contains multiple references to "Kyrylo," "Kyrylo Oleksiyovich," Mudra's unnamed boss, and a top official at the President's Office. There are also direct references to Budanov's last name in the transcripts.

In leaked transcripts of NABU tapes published in April and May, Vasyl Veselyi, a former aide to Sense Bank's supervisory board, and businessman Oleksandr Tsukerman mentioned influencing board appointments at the bank and talking to Zelensky's ex-Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak about the bank. Veselyi was reportedly an informal overseer of the bank on behalf of Yermak and Zelensky ally Timur Mindich, although he denied the allegation.

Sevki Acuner, former head of Sense Bank's supervisory board, said in September that Pyshnyi, head of the National Bank of Ukraine, had allegedly recommended Veselyi for a position at Sense Bank. Pyshnyi denied the allegation.

The media outlet Ekonomichna Pravda reported in September, citing its sources, that Pyshnyi and Veselyi knew each other through the late Andriy Ivanchuk, a former lawmaker who was a university classmate of Pyshnyi.

According to leaked NABU transcripts published in April, Mindich, the alleged ringleader of the Energoatom corruption scheme, and Rustem Umerov, who is now head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, mentioned plans to discuss funding for drone maker Fire Point with Pyshnyi and Sense Bank. Pyshnyi denied having discussed the issue with anyone.

In an Oct. 21 social media post, he said he would not comment on speculation, adding that all questions "should be resolved exclusively through legal channels."