Berez on the scandal at Oschadbank: The NBU deemed the CFO unfit for office for excluding a company with “Russian ties” from tenders
25 March 15:40
According to former MP Boryslav Bereza, the NBU’s Qualification Commission deemed Oleg Strynzha, the CFO of Oschadbank, professionally unfit “after he blocked a sanctioned Russian businessman’s company from participating in tenders and reported this to the financial institution’s Supervisory Board.” Borislav Bereza posted a statement to that effect on Facebook, reports
The politician calls this decision absurd, given the banker’s “impeccable professional background.” Bereza points out that Strynzh’s qualifications had previously satisfied such leading European financial institutions as France’s Société Générale, the Netherlands’ ING Bank, Greece’s Eurobank EFG, and Poland’s Pekao.
Citing his own sources in the banking sector, Bereza claims that the real reason for the CFO’s disqualification was allegedly “personal revenge by NBU Governor Andriy Pyshnyy.” The conflict between them allegedly arose after “Strynzha took the initiative and barred a company—whose actual beneficiary is Russian businessman Yuriy Shumilin—from participating in multi-million-dollar procurements by the central bank.” The latter is subject to U.S. and EU sanctions due to his control over the Russian holding company PT Elektronik, which “is involved in supplying the Russian Federation’s army with components for ‘Orlan’ drones and electronic warfare systems.”
“The naive Strynzha made a fuss about the Russians and informed the Supervisory Board, particularly its foreign members, that he was being pressured by the NBU leadership,” the author of the post believes.
According to Bereza, the removal from office was merely “part of a comprehensive pressure campaign.” He cites the criminal case as the main blow against Strynzha.
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According to Bereza, a complaint regarding an alleged crime was filed with the Pechersk District Prosecutor’s Office. The author of this complaint was Dmytro Oliinyk, who, according to the politician, is considered a person close to Pyshnyy.
Shumilin’s Business
According to Bereza’s statement, Shumilin’s Russian business is operating in Ukraine during the war. This involves two companies: Inkomtech-Proekt LLC and the recently established Inkomtech Proekt LLC. The second company was established immediately after the start of the full-scale invasion “for the purpose of concealment, formally removing the sanctioned Shumilin from the list of owners, while retaining the same management, NACE codes, and addresses.”
These same companies supplied equipment to strategic Ukrainian enterprises, such as: Energoatom, Antonov, Iskra Scientific and Production Complex, Progress State Enterprise, GTS Operator of Ukraine, Ukrnafta, Ukrtransnafta, Centrenergo, and others.
According to Bereza, such unhindered activity (despite the presence of a “Russian trace”) would not have been possible without serious “protection” at the highest levels of government.
“For those who don’t understand or don’t want to understand. During Ali Baba’s reign, no one could enter Energoatom, GTS, or Ukrnafta without his ‘permission.’ And if anyone thinks Ali Baba wasn’t interested in Oschadbank, it’s worth recalling Ms. Roza Tapanova on the Supervisory Board not only of Oschadbank but also of Ukrnafta, who was in business with Yermak and is referred to as his confidante,” Bereza wrote.
Oschadbank’s Response
The above statement by Boryslav Bereza regarding Oschadbank and former CFO Strynzh is not the first. Previously, the politician, in particular, pointed out that prior to the battery incident (a questionable tender for their purchase, – ed.), Strynzha “exposed corruption risks in the bank’s procurement system, which was ‘tailored’ for certain participants.” He (Strynzha, ed.) then appealed to the Supervisory Board, whose foreign members brought in consultants and provided anti-corruption recommendations, but these were not implemented, Bereza clarified.
Oschadbank responded to Bereza’s investigation with a public statement.
“Oschadbank demands a retraction of the false information disseminated by Boryslav Bereza, which casts doubt on the bank’s business reputation. Oschadbank regards such statements as slander and will defend its legal rights and interests,” the institution’s website states.
At the same time, the bank confirmed that Oschadbank CFO Oleg Strynzha was indeed served with a notice of suspicion in the tender procurement case.
“To uphold high standards of corporate governance, in accordance with Mr. Strynzha’s personal statement, his chairmanship of the bank’s tender committee has been temporarily suspended. He continues to perform his duties as a member of the bank’s management board,” the bank’s statement dated March 20 reads.
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On March 23 , Oschadbank issued another statement on the matter , in which it acknowledged the participation of a questionable company in its tender procedures but emphasized that procurement decisions are made collectively.
“The fact that companies with a questionable or unacceptable reputation participate in open tenders does not indicate a flaw in the system. On the contrary, the rejection of such proposals following a review confirms the effectiveness of control procedures and the proper functioning of the bank’s risk management system. Decisions regarding the relevant procurement were made collectively within the framework of Oschadbank’s internal procedures. The Supervisory Board supports adherence to these procedures and the management’s professional stance aimed at protecting the interests of the bank and the state. At the same time, we emphasize that the criminal proceedings, which are currently within the jurisdiction of law enforcement agencies, must be considered exclusively within the legal framework. A notice of suspicion is a procedural step and does not constitute a finding of guilt,” the institution’s statement reads.
The bank adds that “attempts to politicize the criminal proceedings, during which Oschadbank CFO Oleg Strynzha is defending his good name and business reputation, may negatively impact the objectivity and duration of the case.”
As reported by "Komersant Ukrainian", a supplier of components for Russian UAVs was found in Oschadbank’s tenders.
