Attack on journalists in “Ukreximbank” — the former chairman of the board was fined

The former chairman of the board of “Ukreximbank” Yevhen Metzger was found guilty of an attack on “Radio Liberty” (“Radio Svoboda”) journalists.

Judge Mykola Didyk of the Holosiivskyi District Court of Kyiv announced the verdict. According to it, Metzger was found guilty under the article on the illegal seizure of materials and technical equipment collected by a journalist, obstructing the work of a journalist, committed by an official using his official position. Metzger was fined 3.4 thousand UAH without being deprived of the right to hold certain positions.

The former director of the institutionʼs bank security department Ihor Telbizov and the head of “Ukreximbank” internal security department Oleh Osipov, were also found guilty, and fines were also imposed on them.

• On October 4, investigative journalists of the program "Schemes" reported on an attack on the film crew in the office of the chairman of the board of the state-owned “Ukreximbank" Yevhen Metzger. According to them, the incident happened during the recording of an interview with Metzger — he did not like the questions, after which the bank employees took away the equipment from the journalists and deleted the recordings.
• Later, the editors of the "Schemes" program managed to restore the video recording of the incident. After that, Metzger resigned and apologized to journalists. On October 11, the Holosiivskyi District Court of Kyiv sent Metzger under night house arrest in the case of obstructing journalists, the guard was released on personal recognizance.
• On November 9, “Ukreximbank” reinstated the suspended Telbizov and Osipov. Pikalov was dismissed from his post. They explained that their status as suspects in the case of an attack on journalists is not a legal basis for suspension or dismissal. Already on November 12, a video appeared showing how Telbizov, who was reinstated in his position, was greeted with a standing ovation, and he himself said that "a better crash test could not be passed in any organization." Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said he was outraged by the video, and the bankʼs supervisory board fired Telbizov and Osipov on the same day.