Corruption

Austrian Prosecutor’s Office denies money laundering in case of ex-NBU head Shevchenko

The NABU’s prosecution of former National Bank of Ukraine Governor Kyrylo Shevchenko “raises suspicions of political coloration of the case” given the absence of claims against him by international law enforcement agencies and the recognition of his role in maintaining Ukraine’s banking system during the war. This is what James Bradley, a member of the US Republican Party and a longtime ally of Donald Trump, writes in his article titled “Persecution of former NBU Governor Shevchenko – Justice or Political Repression?”, quoted by Ukrainian News, reports .

Bradley first recalls that Shevchenko headed the NBU during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and remained in office during the Russian invasion. The American politician goes on to point out that Shevchenko had to resist political influence on the NBU all the time, which eventually led to his resignation.

Bradley believes that Shevchenko “played a crucial role in preventing the collapse of the banking system in the first months of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” which surprised the entire financial community.

“Initially, the whole world was surprised that the Ukrainian banking system withstood the shock and did not collapse – neither on the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion, nor in the first week, nor in the first months. Even today, it remains the only example in the world of a fully functioning banking system during a war. The second time this happened was when the author of this miracle, Kyrylo Shevchenko, who served as Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine from 2020 to 2022, was forced to resign under unclear circumstances,” Bradley writes.

According to him, at the end of 2024, the Austrian Central Prosecutor’s Office for Economic Crimes and Corruption, having studied the materials sent from Ukraine, closed the case against Shevchenko, finding no evidence of money laundering. Shevchenko’s lawyers also received a decision from the Interpol General Commission confirming that the agency has no measures or restrictions against the former NBU governor, which proves that the charges are groundless and politically motivated.

“Despite all the efforts of the Ukrainian authorities to portray Shevchenko as a corrupt and criminal, these attempts are falling apart before our eyes. International justice has no complaints against him,” the author states.

According to him, despite the decision of international institutions, the persecution of Kyrylo Shevchenko in Ukraine continues: soon the HACC will begin consideration of his case, which has been investigated for almost 6 years, regarding the alleged embezzlement of Ukrgasbank funds.

“Ukrainian courts remain a flexible (in the worst sense of the word) tool in the hands of the authorities, and the outcome is quite predictable. Even among the Ukrainian elites, many believe that the case against Shevchenko is nothing more than political revenge, but few dare to say so openly,” the American politician said.

Earlier, the Kharkiv Human Rights Group publicly defended Kirill Shevchenko . The organization’s website, in particular, stated that KHPG sees “signs of political persecution” in the case against Shevchenko .

“We hope that the state in general and law enforcement agencies in particular will have enough professionalism to avoid political persecution in Ukraine,” the organization said.

According to the NABU, the case against Kyrylo Shevchenko concerns the implementation of a scheme to withdraw funds from Ukrgasbank allegedly under the pretext of paying for intermediary services in 2014-2020.