--- title: "The \"Forrest Gump\" Case: SAO Asks VAS to Detain Sense Bank Head with a 150 Million Hryvnia Bail" description: "The SAO is asking the VAS to detain Sense Bank head Oleksiy Stupak with a 150 million hryvnia bail in the \"Forrest Gump\" case. The Cabinet of Ministers and the NBU have begun the procedure for his dismissal, and the court has already considered similar motions in this case." date: 2026-08-25T12:42:05.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/sap-seeks-vacs-arrest-of-sense-bank-head-stupak tags: [sense-bank, forrest-gamp, anti-corruption, vak-s, nabu, ukraine-banking] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # The "Forrest Gump" Case: SAO Asks VAS to Detain Sense Bank Head with a 150 Million Hryvnia Bail ![Court hearing at Ukraine's HACC in the Forrest Gump case involving the head of Sense Bank](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/25/sap-prosit-vaks-arrestovat-glavu-sense-banka-stupaka/sap-prosit-vaks-arrestovat-glavu-sense-banka-stupaka-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - The SAO is asking the VAS to detain Oleksiy Stupak, Chairman of the Board of Sense Bank, with the possibility of a 150 million hryvnia bail in the "Forrest Gump" case. - According to the investigation, the bank's management temporarily disabled financial monitoring to legalize cash as bail for former Minister Hlushchenko; the documented transfers to the VAS account amount to 50 million hryvnia. - The Cabinet of Ministers and the NBU have begun the procedure for dismissing Stupak and reviewing his professional fitness; the bank's supervisory board, according to the NBU, has lost quorum. The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAO) has submitted a motion to the High Anti-Corruption Court (VAS) seeking the detention of Oleksiy Stupak, Chairman of the Board of the state-owned Sense Bank, with the possibility of posting bail in the amount of 150 million hryvnia. According to the investigation, the top executive is one of the key figures in the NABU and SAO case known as "Forrest Gump," and he is charged with the legalization of assets of criminal origin (Part 3, Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). A hearing on the motion is scheduled for this week, while the Cabinet of Ministers and the National Bank of Ukraine have already initiated the procedure for dismissing Stupak from his position and reviewing his professional fitness. ### The Essence of the Charges and the Investigation's Version According to the prosecutor's version, the bank's management facilitated the temporary disabling of financial monitoring systems in order to introduce 150 million hryvnia in cash into legal circulation — the amount required to post bail for former Energy Minister Herman Hlushchenko. The case file references specific transactions: according to the investigation, 50 million hryvnia was transferred from the accounts of shell companies at Sense Bank to a VAS account (46 million from Giran Contract LLC and 4 million from Pellet Service LLC). The prosecutor's office notes that the bank's financial monitoring failed to flag anomalous million-level transactions by firms with "zero income," generating no corresponding alerts. ### Political Context and Precedents in the Case The investigation also involves individuals linked to the senior political leadership. Within the same case, suspicions were raised against former Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Iryna Mudra, who, according to media reports, was detained by the court, and former MP Vadym Stolar. The investigation believes that it was they who coordinated the acquisition of "de facto control" over the state bank to carry out questionable operations. A separate precedent has already emerged regarding former MP Maksym Nikytas: according to open sources, at his request the SAO sought bail in a significantly larger amount, but the VAS reduced it roughly sixfold — to 30 million hryvnia. ### Institutional Crisis at Sense Bank The court proceedings have effectively paralyzed the corporate governance system at the nationalized bank. NBU Governor Andriy Pyshny publicly stated that, in his assessment, the Sense Bank supervisory board has "lost quorum and is not competent." According to the review, a hidden management structure operated within the financial institution, linked, as media claim, to overseers from the Office of the President and certain business structures. The scandal affects the reputation of the Ministry of Finance as the owner and could complicate plans for the transparent sale of the bank to international investors. In parallel, journalists have noted that, while under investigation, Stupak officially went on leave, and his salary as head of the state bank in July 2026, according to available data, amounted to 871,300 hryvnia. ### Contradictory Data There are inconsistencies in open sources and the statements of the parties that are important to take into account. First, the prosecutor's office characterizes the total amount of alleged legalization as 150 million hryvnia, whereas the transactions documented in the file to the VAS account from shell companies total 50 million hryvnia — that is, the amount confirmed by the investigation is smaller than the one stated in the motion. Second, the 150 million hryvnia bail sought by the prosecutors is, in the assessment of observers, highly likely to be substantially reduced by the court, as happened in the Nikytas episode, when the amount fell to 30 million hryvnia. Both versions — the full 150 million and the actual size of the documented transfers — are not yet reconciled and will be clarified during the court hearings. ### Significance for the Banking Sector The "Forrest Gump" case is setting a precedent for the entire financial market of Ukraine. If previously compliance and financial monitoring were regarded as independent internal control mechanisms, the case materials show that, according to the investigation, external administrative pressure could have led to the temporary "blinding" of the automated control systems of a state bank. The VAS's final decision on Stupak's preventive measure will be an indicator of how consistently the anti-corruption vertical intends to pursue the cleansing of the banking sector, and will also show whether the top management of state banks will retain the ability to influence processes after being dismissed from their positions. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Operation "Forrest Gump": Court Detains Iryna Mudra](https://ru.slovoidilo.ua/2026/08/25/novost/politika/operaciya-forrest-gamp-sud-otpravil-irinu-mudruyu-strazhu) - Подтверждает участие Ирины Мудрой в деле и ее отправку под стражу, что согласуется с блоком о политических фигурантах. - [Forrest Gump Case: Preventive Measure Chosen for Former MP Mykytas](https://korrespondent.net/ukraine/4905043-delo-forrest-hamp-eks-deputatu-mykytasui-yzbrana-mera-presechenyia) - Подтверждает прецедент избрания меры пресечения Максиму Никитасю в рамках того же дела, на который ссылается аналитика о снижении залогов. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: What preventive measure is the SAO seeking for Oleksiy Stupak? **A:** The SAO is asking the VAS to detain him with the possibility of posting bail in the amount of 150 million hryvnia. A hearing on the motion is scheduled for this week, and no decision has yet been made. ### Q: What are Stupak's charges in the "Forrest Gump" case? **A:** He is charged with the legalization of assets of criminal origin (Part 3, Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). According to the investigation, the bank's management temporarily disabled financial monitoring to introduce cash into circulation as bail for former Minister Hlushchenko. ### Q: What is happening to Sense Bank itself? **A:** The Cabinet of Ministers and the NBU have begun the procedure for dismissing Stupak and reviewing his professional fitness. The NBU Governor stated that the bank's supervisory board has lost quorum and is not competent.