NBU Governor Pyshnyi should resign – MP Zhelezniak
MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak (Holos party) said that National Bank of Ukraine Governor Andrii Pyshnyi should submit his resignation. The statement came on Wednesday, October 21, amid searches being conducted by National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) detectives at the central bank’s premises.
He wrote this on his Telegram channel, Censor.NET reports.
Pyshnyi must go
"It is hardly a secret that the NBU governor will be served with a notice of suspicion relatively soon. There were at least two cases in which this was actively discussed (if you followed the work of our temporary investigative commission, you will have guessed which ones). But the National Bank is a very important institution, and the dismissal procedure is currently set out in a way that minimises any political influence and pressure. So the right step now would be for NBU Governor Andrii Pyshnyi to submit his resignation," the MP said.
According to him, this would allow the Verkhovna Rada to consider the resignation as early as Monday, October 26.
Searches at the National Bank
The NBU confirmed that investigative actions were underway. In response to media enquiries, the regulator said NABU detectives, under the procedural supervision of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), were conducting searches at the National Bank’s premises and at the home of one of its employees.
"No one has been detained or served with a notice of suspicion. The investigative actions have been authorised and are being conducted in accordance with applicable legislation. Other details are not being disclosed to preserve the confidentiality of the pre-trial investigation," the NBU statement said.
The National Bank added that it continued to operate normally and would provide further explanations once the procedural actions were completed.
What is known about the grounds for the searches
According to media reports citing sources, the searches concern two cases involving the Karpatnaftokhim plant and the management of Sense Bank by outside individuals. According to the sources, both cases involve Vasyl Veselyi, whom the publications’ sources describe as an "overseer for the Presidential Office". According to testimony from the former chair of Sense Bank’s supervisory board, it was the NBU governor who brought him into the bank.
NABU and SAPO have not officially commented on this information.
Who would serve as acting governor
If Pyshnyi resigns, First Deputy Governor Serhii Nikolaichuk would serve as acting NBU governor. He is also named as one of the candidates for the permanent position.
Background
- This is not the first call for Pyshnyi’s resignation. In August this year, Danylo Hetmantsev (Servant of the People party), chair of the parliamentary Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy, demanded his resignation. The demand followed a scandal involving a money laundering scheme at Sense Bank uncovered by NABU during Operation Forrest Gump.
