Former Ukrainian top diplomat charged with stealing foreign donations
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The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) said on July 27 that it had charged a former top Foreign Ministry official with embezzling Hr 37 million ($1.28 million) in foreign donations intended to support Ukraine.
The funds were subsequently laundered by the official and his alleged accomplices, according to the bureau.
Specifically, the NABU charged Oleksandr Bankov, who served as the ministry’s state secretary from 2020 to 2024, and a former head of Bankov’s office who currently serves as a diplomat.
Other suspects include an aide to a former foreign minister, the head of a non-governmental organization (NGO), and the NGO’s accountant, the NABU said.
“Members of the group misappropriated funds donated by foreign nationals and other donors to support Ukraine at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion and laundered the money through currency conversion centers,” the bureau said. “According to investigators, the Foreign Ministry’s state secretary persuaded international donors and subordinate staff at Ukrainian diplomatic missions abroad to channel financial assistance into the bank account of an NGO under his control.”
The bureau also said that the “funds received by the NGO were legally classified as earmarked budget funds belonging to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s special fund.”
“The funds were then transferred to accounts belonging to sole proprietors and companies controlled by the group, which in turn funneled the money through money laundering centers to withdraw it in cash,” the NABU added. “Members of the scheme used the laundered funds for their own enrichment.”
The Foreign Ministry's press office told the Kyiv Independent that it "has always had, and continues to have, zero tolerance for unlawful conduct, particularly corruption-related offenses."
"The ministry has never sought to shield suspects," the press office said. "The developments announced by the NABU today are also partly the result of an internal Foreign Ministry audit and the ministry’s cooperation with law enforcement agencies."
The press office said that the Foreign Ministry "has provided, and continues to provide, all necessary assistance to law enforcement in the case."
The Kyiv Independent has requested comment from Bankov and will publish his response once it is received.
