Judicial silence and a salary of 641 thousand hryvnias: what is known about the case of the NBU's chief lawyer Oleksandr Zyma

While Ukrainians await justice, Oleksandr Zyma, a potential suspect in abuse of power leading to grave consequences, continues to hold the position of chief legal counsel at the National Bank of Ukraine and receives more than half a million hryvnias in salary per month for his work, writes UNN.

According to the declaration, Oleksandr Zyma earned 641,367 UAH in his position during the first month of summer. This is despite the fact that an investigation into a criminal case against the lawyer, due to his alleged abuse of power, has been ongoing for almost 2 years.

According to the State Bureau of Investigation, which launched the investigation at the end of 2023, Zyma, while simultaneously being the head of the administrative board of the Deposit Guarantee Fund, interfered in court proceedings by sending a letter on behalf of the National Bank of Ukraine to the Fund with a "recommendation" to withdraw lawsuits filed against the National Bank. Thus, the chief lawyer of the regulator instructed to withdraw the lawsuits of "Concord" bank, filed even before the start of the bank's liquidation process. The plaintiff in court planned to challenge fines totaling almost 63.5 million hryvnias, imposed by the regulator.

The lawsuits were withdrawn, and the shareholders of "Concord" bank, Olena and Yulia Sosedka, were deprived of the right to a fair trial. And all this thanks to the official instruction of the chief lawyer of the NBU, Oleksandr Zyma.

Nine months after the start of the criminal investigation, the SBI transferred the case to the Pechersk police department in Kyiv, whose investigators recognized the co-owners of "Concord", Olena and Yulia Sosedka, as victims. Thus, the investigation confirmed that Oleksandr Zyma's actions caused real significant damage to the bank's shareholders.

In response to a request from UNN, the police reported last autumn that during the investigation, they plan to interrogate the chief lawyer of the National Bank, after which they will consider the possibility of applying to the court for his suspension from office.

However, almost a year and a half after the case was registered, Zyma's case is stalling – the main figure has not yet been served with a notice of suspicion and has not been interrogated. Former judge Oleksandr Sytnikov noted that such a delay is a characteristic feature of investigations into official crimes.

And while the case is being delayed, Oleksandr Zyma continues to hold the position of chief lawyer of the National Bank of Ukraine and receive close to half a million in salary every month. According to declaration data, Oleksandr Zyma received 475,200 hryvnias in salary in May. At the same time, for the past year 2024, the official earned 6,198,238 UAH at the National Bank.