The SBI served notifications of suspicion to persons, who helped the russian bookmaker to steal the property of the bankrupt Kharkiv bank

The employees of the SBI have served notifications of suspicion to 6 persons who helped the companies that are associated with a well-known russian bookmaker to withdraw the real estate of a bankrupt Kharkiv bank.

These actions were revealed in cooperation with the State Financial Monitoring Service and the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise.

In particular, in March 2023, the SBI exposed the illegal financial transaction with the real estate of the Kharkiv commercial bank, which was in the process of liquidation. The cost of real estate in the center of Kharkiv is estimated at 360 million hryvnias.

This scheme was implemented by using the bank account details of a Ukrainian company that was controlled by the owner of the Kharkiv bank, as well as two foreign companies against which the national sanctions were imposed according to the decision of the National Security and Defense Council. Moreover, earlier the investigation of the Bureau found that these companies have a connection with a well-known russian bookmaker, and other companies and persons whose actions were committed to the detriment of national interests and national security of our state.

The new owners of the bank became foreign companies, the actual beneficial owners of which are citizens of the aggressor state. Non-resident companies are under the sanctions of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

The director of one of the branches of the bankrupt bank, a private notary, as well as three representatives of the companies, who were involved in the deal, and the person who "acquired" the bank's property were served notifications of suspicion of embezzlement or complicity in embezzlement of the bank's property on an especially large scale, forgery of documents and their use, as well as legalization of property obtained by criminal means (Article 191, Article 358, Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

Currently, the issue of choosing a preventive measure for detainees is being decided.

The sanction of the Article for committing embezzlement on an especially large scale provides for imprisonment of up to 12 years.

The pre-trial investigation continues.

The property, which was illegally removed from the management of the Deposit Guarantee Fund of individuals, had been seized by a court decision and was transferred by now to the management of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA).

Procedural guidance is provided by the Office of the Prosecutor General.

For reference, this russian bookmaker earned in 2022 about 12 billion russian rubles. From this profit, the company paid taxes and fees to the enemy's budget. Their money finances the power bloc, the defense-industrial complex of the russian federation, as well as armed aggression against Ukraine.

In June 2023, at the request of the SBI and the Office of the Prosecutor General, the court arrested and transferred to the management of ARMA more than 1.9 billion hryvnias from the accounts of a non-resident company, the bank account details of which were used during this deal.

In turn, the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court at the end of September 2024 finally satisfied the appeal of the Ministry of Justice, submitted on the basis of the materials of the SBI proceedings, on the application of sanctions in the form of recovery of the company's assets to state income by transferring securities, funds in bank accounts and interest from the management of such assets for a total amount of about 2 billion hryvnias from ARMA directly to the state budget of Ukraine.

Also in October of this year, the SBI handed over 39 real estate objects worth almost 1 billion hryvnias to the management of ARMA. The real estate was unlawfully withdrawn from the property of this bank on the eve of its recognition as insolvent and the beginning of the procedure for withdrawal from the market.