Former Ukrainian Ambassador Faces Corruption Charges

Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) has charged Oleksandr Bankov, the former State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with embezzling more than ₴37m ($1.29m) in donor funds.

According to investigators, the money came from foreign donations intended to support Ukraine following the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.

NABU alleges that Bankov persuaded foreign donors and Ukrainian diplomatic missions to transfer financial assistance to the account of a nongovernmental organization under his control. Investigators say he and other suspects then laundered the money through a network of companies, sole proprietors and currency conversion centers.

Those charged also include the former head of Bankov's office, a current diplomatic official, an adviser to the former foreign minister who headed the NGO and the organization's accountant.

Ukraine's ministry of foreign affairs said it has a zero-tolerance policy toward corruption and that its internal audit helped uncover the scheme. The ministry also pledged its full cooperation with law enforcement authorities. Bankov served as state secretary from 2020 to 2024 and previously served as Ukraine's ambassador to Romania.

(mja)