Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Former owner of Delta Bank Mykola Lahun is abroad and has been declared internationally wanted. The Deposit Guarantee Fund demands recovery from him and the former management of 22,86 billion UAH. The investigation is looking into the withdrawal of funds through offshore companies, nominee companies, real estate, and cryptocurrency. Assets connected to the banker, according to journalists’ estimates, generate up to $200 thousand in cash per month.
During searches, hundreds of seals and documents of more than 200 foreign companies were seized, reports “Komentari.”
PJSC Delta Bank (EDRPOU 34047020) was established on 14 February 2006. Lahun controlled 70,6% of the shares, Cargill — 29,4%. On 2 March 2015 the bank was declared insolvent. At the time of the collapse, individual deposits amounted to 31,5 billion UAH, corporate funds — 12,5 billion, the loan portfolio — 45 billion, NBU refinancing — 9,3 billion, government entities’ funds — 8,4 billion. The Fund had to reimburse 16,3 billion UAH; by February 2024 it had paid 15,9 billion.
In 2014 the bank purchased for 4,1 billion UAH about $535 million for 12 related structures, including operations through Baltic International Bank. Under a back-to-back mechanism, Delta provided funds for offshore loans, losing the collateral after non-repayment. Through Meinl Bank, $87,3 million passed, Bank Winter — $50 million. The total volume of operations through Meinl Bank, Bank Frick, East-West United and Bank Winter — $437,2 million.
The Fund is recovering 22 861 522 608 UAH in case No. ¹910/21280/21. Defendants — Mykola and Antonina Lahun, Olena Popova, Vitaliy Masiura, Denys Tarasiuk, Marcin Figlus, Valentyn Zasukha and Yaroslav Porokhniak. On 31 July 2024 the court denied the claim; the appeal was postponed until 24 November 2026, hearings closed due to banking secrecy. A separate Fund claim is 791,2 million UAH in case No. ¹910/7338/19.
Criminal proceedings cover the withdrawal of $76,5 million, embezzlement of over 1,1 billion UAH and tax fraud. Case No. ¹761/8406/23 concerns the transfer of $76,5 million to a non-resident. Proceeding ¹761/25125/23 includes a loan to an affiliated company of 450 million UAH, of which 200 million was repaid. On 22 October 2024 Lahun was declared internationally wanted in tax case No. ¹372/1505/23, proceeding ¹12021000000000940, related to securities. In 2023 the banker tried to file for personal bankruptcy with billion-hryvnia debts to the NBU, Oschadbank and Ukreximbank.
On 4 May 2026 proceedings No. ¹42026000000000563 were opened under part 3 of article 209 of the Criminal Code — legalization of criminal proceeds. The investigation is checking registration to nominees of more than 300 hectares of land in Kyiv, Chernihiv and Ivano-Frankivsk regions, real estate, cars, securities and corporate rights in Ukraine, Poland and Cyprus.
The asset management is linked by investigators to former bank employees Maksym Chernov, Denys Tarasiuk and Anna Hutsaliuk. Hutsaliuk controls 94% of Biright Advocacy (EDRPOU 41740126); Tarasiuk was previously a co-owner; other participants are Iryna Tsviera and Oleksiy Huk. For 2025 year the group reported 1,072 million UAH in revenue and 365,8 thousand UAH in losses. After sanctions, Agro Green Management (EDRPOU 45151539) on 30 July 2025 transferred from British PE Investments Limited to Tetiana Kuzub, then changed its name to Respen and its address to Kherson. On 11 August 2026 the court refused to arrest the rights of Respen and Biright Advocacy.
Searches at premises linked to Chernov and Tarasiuk produced hundreds of seals, bank archives and documents of more than 200 non-residents. The investigation froze the crypto wallets of eight people on Binance, linked to Nest Exchange, Nest Clearing and Custody, Nest Trading Limited, Revolut cards and accounts with Wise, Monese, Erste Bank, Ziraat Bankasi. Transfers of rental income into cryptocurrency with subsequent investment in real estate are being examined.
A court ruling in case No. ¹752/18878/26 dated 11 August 2026 records the seizure of corporate rights: Concept Holding (39560773) — 235,69 million UAH, Krem-1 (36148777) — 169,51 million, Agalem (36425844) — 142,99 million, TM Holding (35921110) — 74,15 million, the Aris fund (38518280) — 51,8 million. The amounts reflect the nominal value of the rights, not proven damages.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Фонд гарантування вкладів фізичних осіб домагається стягнення з Миколи Лагуна та колишнього керівництва «Дельта Банку» 22,86 мільярда гривень". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Rozsliduvach.