On September 2, 2026, the High Anti-Corruption Court (VAKS) selected a preventive measure for Oleksiy Stupak, Chairman of the Board of the state-owned Sense Bank, in the case known to investigative authorities as "Forrest Gump." The court did not place the banker in custody, limiting itself to a 15 million hryvnia bail and a set of procedural restrictions. Simultaneously with the VAKS hearing, the National Bank of Ukraine officially found Stupak to be non-compliant with the qualification requirements and demanded that the Cabinet of Ministers terminate his authority. Thus, within a single day, the head of one of the key state banks found himself under dual pressure — criminal and regulatory.
Prosecution's arguments: 30 foreign trips and "lack of social ties"
At the VAKS hearing, prosecutors presented an extensive body of arguments in favor of selecting a strict preventive measure. According to them, since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Stupak left the country at least 30 times during the period of martial law. The prosecution characterized these trips as a potential risk of evading the investigation. Moreover, prosecutors emphasized that, to their knowledge, Stupak has no stable social ties in Ukraine, including children, which, in their logic, lowers the "cost" of his escape and increases the risk. Separately, the prosecution noted that a number of the suspect's meetings were allegedly scheduled "outside Kyiv," which, according to the investigation, indicates an attempt to evade control.
Defense's position: business trips and hospital treatment
Stupak's lawyers categorically disagreed with the prosecution's reasoning. They stated that all of their client's trips abroad were exclusively work-related and tied to the functioning of the bank. In response to the prosecution's remark about meetings "outside Kyiv," the defense replied that the banker was undergoing treatment and that it was precisely in the hospital setting that he scheduled business meetings. The question of surety also became a point of contention: a serviceman appeared at the hearing, stating that he has known Stupak for about 15 years and is ready to take him as a surety. The prosecutor, however, objected that the data provided about this serviceman was insufficient to accept him as a surety.
Court's decision: bail, bracelet, and ban on contact with co-suspects
The VAKS's final decision turned out to be a compromise: Stupak was not taken into custody, but a complex of procedural obligations was imposed on him. In addition to the 15 million hryvnia bail, the banker was ordered not to leave Kyiv, to surrender all foreign passports, to wear an electronic bracelet, and, crucially, to cease any communication with the other suspects in the "Forrest Gump" case. The last point effectively isolates Stupak from the co-perpetrators according to the investigation and is aimed at preventing the coordination of testimony.
NBU demands dismissal: "opaque parallel management structure"
In parallel with the case being heard at VAKS, a regulatory process was unfolding. On September 1, the National Bank of Ukraine's Committee on Supervision and Regulation of Banking Activities unanimously found Stupak to be non-compliant with the qualification requirements in terms of professional fitness. This was announced on September 2 during a session of the Verkhovna Rada's Temporary Investigative Commission on economic security matters by NBU Governor Andriy Pyshnyi. According to him, the basis for the administrative proceedings was signs, detected by the National Bank, of an opaque parallel management structure of the bank that had operated until 2022. Formally, the dismissal of the chairman of the board of a state bank falls within the competence of the supervisory board; however, Sense Bank currently lacks a quorum in that body. Under martial law, the law grants the owner — the government — the right to make decisions normally reserved for the supervisory board, which is why the demand to replace Stupak was directed to the Cabinet of Ministers.
Context of the "Forrest Gump" case: 150 million hryvnia in bags and links to the President's Office
The case in which Sense Bank is implicated is being investigated by the NABU and the SAP on suspicion of the activities of an organized criminal group. According to the investigation, current and former members of parliament, as well as officials of the President's Office, may be involved. The group's members, according to the investigation, organized a scheme to launder 150 million hryvnia in cash: the money was brought in bags and then processed through the accounts of Sense Bank and affiliated companies. It was precisely this scheme that triggered the simultaneous criminal prosecution and regulatory pressure on the bank's management.
Contradictory data
There are a number of significant discrepancies between the positions of the prosecution and the defense that the court will have to take into account in its further procedural decisions. The prosecution asserts that Stupak made at least 30 trips abroad during martial law, interpreting this as a flight risk. The defense insists that all trips were business trips necessary for the functioning of a state bank. A similar inconsistency exists regarding the "meetings outside Kyiv": the prosecution sees in this an attempt to evade investigative control, whereas the defense explains it by inpatient hospital treatment. In addition, the prosecution emphasizes the absence of children and stable social ties for Stupak as a risk factor, while, according to open sources, it has not provided documentary confirmation of this claim. These discrepancies are not factual contradictions in dates or figures, but rather opposing legal qualifications of the same circumstances, which is typical for the stage of selecting a preventive measure.
