Case description
On October 13, 2022, the HACC found Mykola Lobenko, the head of a private firm, guilty of embezzling a UAH 787 million NBU loan and participating in a criminal organization of Yanukovych and Kurchenko.
Mykola Lobenko was the head of Yurai LLC, which was involved in a scheme to embezzle UAH 800 million of the NBU stabilization loan granted to Serhii Kurchenko's Real Bank.
In September 2013, the aforementioned bank granted loans to several companies controlled by Viktor Yanukovych, the then-President of Ukraine. The latter transferred money through various fictitious companies to the accounts of two other companies, one of which was run by Lobenko.
Next, Yurai LLC deposited 500 million of loan money under the guise of its own money with the same Real Bank, with the right to terminate the deposit early and withdraw the funds. A month later, the bank made a false statement about the termination of the deposit and found itself in debt to the companies, which became the reason for receiving UAH 800 million of a stabilization loan from the NBU. The loan was secured by property whose value was overstated by seven times. Later, the bank withdrew the money through fictitious companies and cashed it out.
In this way, Kurchenko, together with NBU officials and private company executives, created artificial debt for the bank. Lobenko, as the head of one of the companies, seized 787 million in stabilization loans and ended up in the dock.
This case is related to the proceedings against Mykola Zlochevskyi, the former Minister of Ecology under Yanukovych. The investigation suspects him of attempting to bribe the leadership of the NABU and the SAPO with a record-breaking USD 6 million bribe for closing the case of embezzlement and legalization of the NBU loan to Kurchenko's bank.
Lobenko's actions were classified under Article 28, part 4; Article 191, part 5; Article 255, part 1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. He concluded a plea agreement, the HACC approved it and sentenced Lobenko to a 5-year suspended sentence with a 3-year probationary period and an additional 3-year deprivation of the right to hold certain positions.
