Norway extradites banker to Ukraine suspected of embezzling over a million hryvnias from clients

A former employee of a banking institution in the Ternopil region was extradited from Norway to Ukraine, suspected of systematically stealing funds from clients’ accounts. According to the investigation, over the course of four years, the man illegally appropriated more than a million hryvnias, after which he left abroad and was on the international wanted list.

This was reported by the Prosecutor General’s Office.

How the banker embezzled clients’ money

According to the investigation, during 2017–2021, a former employee of a financial institution in the Ternopil region systematically appropriated the funds of the bank’s clients.

Among the victims are local residents and a public organization.

Law enforcement officers established that the suspect used unauthorized access to bank cards and accounts, and also abused the trust of the victims.

The total amount of losses caused exceeds 1 million hryvnias.

The man went abroad and became an international wanted person

In July 2021, the suspect left the territory of Ukraine.

Subsequently, law enforcement agencies declared him a state and international wanted person.

Thanks to the cooperation of Ukrainian law enforcement officers with the competent authorities of Norway, the man was detained and extradited to Ukraine.

After the suspect returned, prosecutors from the Ternopil Regional Prosecutor’s Office applied to the court with a request to choose a preventive measure.

The court granted the relevant request and chose a preventive measure for the man. Its type is not specified in the report.

What criminal liability does the suspect face

The former bank employee is charged with criminal offenses provided for by several articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

In particular:

Article 185 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – theft. Provides for liability for the secret theft of someone else’s property.
Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — fraud. Applies to the appropriation of someone else’s property or the acquisition of the right to property through deception or abuse of trust.
Article 200 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — illegal actions with payment instruments and means of access to bank accounts. Provides for liability for illegal operations with payment instruments and other means of access defined by law.

The specific punishment will depend on the qualification of each episode, the proven circumstances of the case and the court’s decision.

In accordance with the principle of the presumption of innocence, a person is considered innocent until his guilt is proven in accordance with the procedure established by law and confirmed by a guilty verdict of a court that has entered into legal force.

Extradition of suspects to Ukraine

The return of the former bank employee was the result of international cooperation between law enforcement agencies of Ukraine and Norway.

Extradition is a legal mechanism that allows the transfer of individuals between states for criminal prosecution or execution of a court sentence if there are grounds provided for by law.

In this case, international cooperation made it possible to ensure the return of the suspect to Ukraine for further criminal proceedings.

The pre-trial investigation and judicial proceedings should establish all the circumstances of the alleged embezzlement of funds, as well as determine the degree of responsibility of the suspect.