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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine appears to be the only authority capable of objectively and transparently investigating the embezzlement of state funds and their laundering through “Delta Bank,” involving the bank’s former owner Mykola Lahun and his associates from the bank’s management and credit committee. This is stated in a piece by the European publication EUToday. More than 23 billion UAH (about 500 million USD or 440 million EUR) in damages inflicted on the state by “Delta Bank” would significantly help Ukraine amid a financial crisis caused by a shortfall in external financing, the article says.
The publication recalls that Ukrainian law enforcement agencies are investigating abuses totaling more than 2,5 billion USD, and Mykola Lahun has been declared wanted nationally and internationally; he is currently hiding in Vienna. In 2025, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine imposed sanctions on him for cooperating with Russia.
One of the key cases is the lawsuit by the Deposit Guarantee Fund regarding damages caused by actions of Lahun and the Delta Bank credit committee. It concerns an alleged fraudulent scheme under which the bank issued fictitious loans to nominal persons for several years without any real collateral. The Fund borrowed money from the government and is now obliged to return it. The damages are estimated at 23 billion UAH (about 500 million USD). “This case clearly falls within NABU’s jurisdiction—the body responsible for investigating embezzlement of state funds in Ukraine, which recently has established itself as perhaps the only law enforcement structure independent of external political pressure,” the article says.
Among those suspected of involvement in the fraud are Lahun himself (against whom NABU is already conducting several cases), his sister Antonina Lahun (who is currently hiding in the United Kingdom), and the former chair of the bank’s board Olena Popova (who, like Lahun, likely holds a Russian passport). The case also includes former Delta top managers Denys Tarasiuk and Vitaliy Masyura; they now own agricultural businesses and law firms but continue to cooperate with Lahun.
In May 2026, the National Police of Ukraine opened a criminal proceeding into legalization (money laundering) of proceeds obtained by criminal means. The investigation focused specifically on the damages of 23 billion UAH inflicted on the Deposit Guarantee Fund. According to court motions and asset seizure orders, investigators identified an expanded list of nominal persons in whose names numerous business structures are registered—structures that bring the former owner of Delta Bank stable million-dollar incomes while he hides in Vienna.
The case materials state that funds siphoned to offshore accounts were later invested in real estate, including residential and commercial premises, as well as numerous land plots. Ukrainian media have repeatedly reported that among these assets are hundreds of hectares of land designated for development in the Carpathian resort area and on the outskirts of Kyiv.
Searches were conducted at the premises of individuals in whose names Lahun’s assets were registered. Among them was a law firm owned by former Delta Bank lawyer Hanna Hutsaliuk, a key link in the shadow “back office,” and Maksym Chernov, who manages all of the former owner’s business interests in Ukraine.
“This story strongly resembles an episode of the high-profile corruption case ‘Carthage,’ which NABU is investigating. In that case, the partner of a prosecutor accused of corruption, in whose name illegally acquired assets were registered, did not escape law enforcement attention and also received a suspicion. She is in custody with the possibility of bail set at 20 million UAH. For political and business circles, that case demonstrates that nominal persons and nominal directors cannot remain outside criminal proceedings against their leaders. Accordingly, in Lahun’s case—as confirmed by the police investigation—his associates must bear responsibility,” the authors of the piece believe.
“NABU appears to be the only body capable of quickly and effectively untangling this tangle of political and corrupt intrigues. Against the backdrop of Ukraine’s financial crisis, when every hryvnia of budget revenue counts, returning the stolen funds from one of Ukraine’s oligarchs would significantly help support the state’s stability and resilience as it fights a bloody war against the Russian dictator. This is also important for Ukraine’s European partners: by supporting Ukraine today, they are effectively covering, among other things, expenses that should be paid by this fugitive financier,” the publication concludes.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "ЗМІ пояснили, чому справи щодо розкрадання державних коштів на 23 млрд грн. Миколою Лагуном з “Дельта банку” має розслідувати НАБУ". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Informator.
