National Bank of Ukraine Governor Andriy Pyshnyy has denied giving staffing recommendations to the supervisory board of the state-owned Sense Bank. He says he did not recommend appointing Vasyl Veselyy as an adviser to the supervisory board, did not introduce him, and did not issue instructions on this or any other staffing matter.
Pyshnyi published the statement on Facebook after a parliamentary temporary investigative commission hearing included a claim that it was he who recommended the bank’s supervisory board appoint Veselyy as an adviser. Vasyl Veselyy was mentioned in the “Midas” case.
“I categorically deny providing any staffing recommendations to the Supervisory Board of Sense Bank. I gave no recommendations regarding the appointment of Vasyl Veselyy as an adviser to the Supervisory Board, did not introduce him to the Supervisory Board, did not give instructions to members of the Supervisory Board on this or any other staffing decisions, and exerted no pressure on the chair or members of the Supervisory Board of Sense Bank. Claims to the contrary are untrue,” Pyshnyy said.
He said he is ready to attend a commission meeting and answer all questions. The NBU governor added that, if the commission has questions for him, it should ask them directly.
The claim that Veselyy was appointed as an adviser on Pyshnyi’s recommendation was made by former supervisory board chair Shevki Ajuner, Ukrayinska Pravda reports.
“I was told that Mr Veselyy could be trusted as the bank’s communicator with stakeholders, before the bank began the interview process,” he said at the commission meeting.
Context
Vasyl Veselyy was mentioned in recordings of conversations in the “Midas” case, which the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office have been investigating since last year. Ukrayinska Pravda wrote that Veselyy and one of the suspects, Oleksandr Tsukerman, discussed candidates for the supervisory board of Sense Bank.