Former State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bankov has been sent to custody. He is suspected of embezzling foreign donations for Ukraine

The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has imposed a preventive measure on former State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Oleksandr Bankov, who is suspected of embezzling international aid for Ukraine at the beginning of Russiaʼs full-scale invasion.

This is reported by Suspilne.

Bankov was sent to custody for 60 days with the possibility of bail of UAH 10 million.

The SAPO prosecutor requested detention with the alternative of bail of UAH 15 million. At the same time, the defense called the bail amount "large" and asked for a "softer" preventive measure.

On July 27, Bankov was charged with fraud, money laundering, and embezzlement. According to investigators, at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he persuaded donors and diplomatic staff to transfer financial aid to Ukraine to the bank account of a controlled public organization. These funds were then transferred to the accounts of individual entrepreneurs (including shell companies).

After that, the funds were converted into cash through conversion centers and spent on their own needs. In total, they were able to legalize UAH 37.3 million through controlled companies and individual entrepreneurs.

In addition to Bankov, three more people have been suspected in this case: Ramiz Ramazanov (former head of the Foreign Ministryʼs staff and current advisor to the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN Office in Geneva), Vladyslav Reznikov (head of the controlled public organization "Center for Promoting International Cooperation"), and the accountant of this organization.

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