Case description
The NABU and the SAPO accuse former Chairman of the Board of Rodovid Bank Dmytro Yehorenko of assisting former MP Oleksandr Shepeliev in misappropriating UAH 18.45 million from the financial institution.
According to the investigation, when Rodovid Bank faced a crisis, it was included in the list of nationalized banks, and the National Bank of Ukraine appointed a temporary administration. Dmytro Yehorenko became the temporary administrator. All documentation, seals, and asset management responsibilities were transferred to him, and from that moment he had full control over the bank’s financial transactions.
It was during this period that, according to the investigators, Oleksandr Shepeliev arrived at the bank. He introduced himself as an unofficial government-appointed supervisor of the bank from the Cabinet of Ministers and claimed that all key decisions had to be coordinated with him. Following his instructions, the bank allocated him a separate office, where he worked regularly. Despite having no formal authority, Shepeliev, according to law enforcement, effectively ran all financial processes within the bank, influenced staffing decisions, and issued verbal orders to management.
Using his status as a Member of Parliament, Shepeliev gained access to the bank’s internal documents, thoroughly reviewed its financial standing, and identified an opportunity to embezzle a substantial sum. His plan was simple: force the bank’s administration to sign fictitious office lease agreements, which would serve as the basis for transferring state funds to a controlled account.
According to the plan, the funds were to be transferred to an account owned by Shepeliev’s wife, who held a controlling stake in a private bank that was used to process the transactions.
To implement the scheme, the bank’s Deputy Chair and other officials were involved. They signed a series of backdated fictitious contracts for the lease of premises that were never actually transferred to or used by the bank.
Under pressure from Shepeliev, Yehorenko agreed to the scheme: he signed the documents, which were then submitted to the bank’s accounting department, and over UAH 18 million was transferred to Shepeliev’s wife’s account. A large portion of the amount was later withdrawn in cash and distributed among the participants of the scheme.
Yehorenko has been charged under Article 191(5) and Article 366(1) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. He is currently wanted, as he fled to Crimea in 2018.
Shepeliev is being tried separately and is currently held in the Lukianivka pre-trial detention facility.
