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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
VAKS found former deputy director of Ukraerorukh Serhiy Gombolyovskyi guilty of losses of 70 million hryvnias in Platinum Bank — and immediately released him due to the statute of limitations.
VAKS issued a verdict in the case of the first deputy director of the state enterprise Ukraerorukh. This is part of the proceedings of NABU and SAP, in which the then director Ihor Kasianenko and deputy Serhiy Gombolyovsky are implicated. Materials regarding the deputy were allocated for separate consideration back in December 2024 of the year.
The accusation proceeded under part 2 of article 364 of the Criminal Code — abuse of official position with grave consequences. This is the SAP version.
29 December 2016 of the year, Platinum Bank proposed to Ukraerorukh to extend the elevated interest rates on balances and gave a bonus 1% per year — if on 1 January 2017 of the year the account would have at least 250 million hryvnias. In response, the first deputy director wrote a memo: “Head accountant. Please transfer 70 million hryvnias.”
The money came in. According to the court, this tranche helped the bank close a liquidity coverage gap for a few days: in December Platinum Bank was already falling in N4 and N6. Concurrently, nearly 120 million hryvnias also flowed into the bank accounts from Lviv Bus Plant.
In January 2017 the NBU recognized the bank as insolvent. On Ukraerorukh’s accounts were stuck 270,7 million hryvnias and 4,7 million euros. The liquidation was completed in 2021 of the year. The debt to the enterprise was not repaid.
Prior to that, the Ministry of Infrastructure had already recommended keeping funds in state and “reliable” banks. Ukraerorukh itself in June and December 2016 of the year issued orders to move funds out of troubled institutions. Control over these orders was specifically with the first deputy. The bank had in the summer of 2016 year been breaking payments — the enterprise wrote about it to the NBU.
What the court said
The panel requalified the actions under part 2 of article 367 of the Criminal Code (negligence). The court did not fix an intentional “gift” to the bank for personal gain as the prosecution hoped. Instead, it found that the official knew about the risks, had the opportunity not to transfer 70 million to a bank that no longer met the standards, and still gave the order to transfer.
Causation was limited by the court to these 70 million hryvnias. The rest of the funds — over 200 million hryvnias in hryvnias and foreign currency — were not attached to this ruling. The claim by the enterprise for 404 million was rejected to the extent of more than 70 million.
Punishment that will not be
The sentence formula is stern on paper: five years of imprisonment, three years’ prohibition from holding positions at state enterprises, and a fine 12 750 hryvnias. The court then applied part 49 of the Criminal Code — statute of limitations. He was released from serving the sentence.
House arrest from May 2023 was counted according to the formula “three days of house arrest for one day of prison.” At the time of the verdict, the preventive measure had already been lifted.
Civil liability was harsher than criminal: it ordered the payment of 70 million hryvnias to Ukraerorukh. The arrest of a Toyota Sequoia 2008 of the year and a trailer remained — to cover this debt. Expert opinions — almost 36 thousand hryvnias more to the state.
The defense asked for acquittal: allegedly, the rates were favorable, there was no prohibition on keeping an account in Platinum, and the loss occurred because the bank 10 of January 2017 did not execute payment orders to withdraw the same 70 million. The court did not accept this logic as a full exoneration.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Ексзаступника директора «Украероруху» звільнили від покарання за схему з «Платинум Банк»". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: 368.media.
