Suspended Sense Bank supervisory board chairman Mykola Hladyshenko said he was not invited to a parliamentary hearing where lawmakers discussed him 53 times.
Hladyshenko posted his comments on Facebook following a session of the Verkhovna Rada temporary commission of inquiry led by Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak.
He noted that committee members spent considerable time analyzing his conduct during the proceedings without granting him a chance to address the allegations directly. He said he stopped counting after his surname was brought up for the 53rd time, remarking that while he appreciated being considered central to the inquiry, the panel failed to request his perspective.
Hladyshenko argued that an investigative body ought to gather facts rather than host an absentee competition for the most persuasive narrative. He stressed that a clear distinction exists between conducting a genuine investigation and presenting a preferred interpretation of events, adding that hearing directly from the subject of an inquiry is essential to establishing the truth.
Parliamentary inquiry into bail funds
The commission session focused on verifying the origin of money deposited as bail in cases before the High Anti-Corruption Court. The specialized judicial body handles major corruption cases in Ukraine, while the Verkhovna Rada uses temporary commissions of inquiry to examine potential financial irregularities and public policy matters.
During the hearing, members of the parliamentary panel took testimony from various official representatives, including National Bank of Ukraine Deputy Governor Dmytro Oliynyk. As the central bank and chief financial regulator, the NBU oversees banking operations and compliance across all financial institutions operating in Ukraine.
Oliynyk informed the panel that the central bank is actively auditing four financial institutions that processed payments linked to the bail funds. The banks under review include Sense Bank, PUMB, OTP Bank, and Idea Bank. Sense Bank is one of the largest commercial lenders in Ukraine.
Central bank audit of payment flows
Oliynyk clarified that the total bail amount did not pass through Sense Bank alone. He explained that regulators examined the movement of money across multiple consecutive transaction links and have found no evidence of physical cash being used in the audited transfers.
The central bank official stated that regulators hold questions for several institutions involved in the transactions. He noted that the NBU has just as many queries for other commercial lenders as it does for Sense Bank, and has even greater concerns regarding some of the other participating banks.
Oliynyk added that central bank investigators have not identified any technical or technological mechanisms that would enable parties to bypass established financial controls. The NBU audit into the payment channels and institutional compliance remains ongoing.
