The police did not interrogate Oleksandr Zyma, director of the legal department of the National Bank of Ukraine, in the framework of criminal proceedings initiated over possible abuse of office, UNN reports.
The criminal proceedings against the NBU's chief lawyer were opened due to his letter to the Deposit Guarantee Fund (DGF). In the document, Zyma, who is both the director of the NBU's legal department and the chairman of the DGF's Administrative Council, recommended that the Fund withdraw the lawsuits filed by Concorde Bank against the NBU on behalf of the National Bank. These lawsuits concerned the cancellation of fines amounting to almost UAH 63.5 million and were filed before the decision to liquidate the bank.
The Deposit Guarantee Fund followed this recommendation, which, according to Olena Sosiedka, deprived of the bank's shareholders of their constitutional right to a fair trial.
In this way, Zyma has probably called into question the independence of the Deposit Guarantee Fund's management, which now has a negative impact on cooperation with international financial institutions. It is possible that, for example, the IMF, out of dissatisfaction with the situation, has begun to actively demand that Ukraine develop a procedure and hold an open competition for the position of the DGF Managing Director.
Last fall, Zyma's case was transferred from the SBI to the Pechersk Police Department in Kyiv for investigation. Law enforcement officials told UNN that they plan to interrogate the NBU's chief lawyer, and after serving him with a notice of suspicion, investigators are likely to petition the court to remove Zyma from his duties as director of the NBU's legal department. Investigators also recognized Olena and Yulia Sosedok as victims in this criminal proceeding, confirming that Zyma's actions caused harm.
According to UNN, investigators have not yet interrogated the NBU's chief lawyer in this criminal proceeding, and he has not yet been served with a notice of suspicion.
This is a matter of concern, as his testimony is critical to establishing the truth and an objective consideration of the case.
Recall
Oleksandr Zyma has not been suspended or dismissed from his position as director of the NBU's legal department. Last December alone, Zyma received almost 700 ,000 UAH in salary.
According to of his declaration for 2023, Zyma earned almost UAH 5.5 million from the National Bank during the year. In addition, last year he received more than UAH 1.8 million in income in the amount of the nominal value of redeemed government bonds.