Oschadbank demands a retraction of false information that has been circulated

Oschadbank demands a retraction of the false information circulated by Boryslav Bereza, which casts doubt on the bank’s business reputation. Oschadbank considers such statements to be defamatory and will defend its legal rights and interests.

Citing anonymous sources and drawing false and manipulative conclusions, B. Bereza has cast doubt on the state of corporate governance at Oschadbank and the effectiveness of the system for countering unscrupulous suppliers.

Here are the facts:

• During tender procedures on Prozorro, an open platform where any company registered in Ukraine can participate in bidding, one of the companies was selected as the winner based on its price proposal.
• An investigation, conducted in accordance with strict internal procedures, of the documents submitted by the company and a review of its business reputation revealed, among other things, that the company’s beneficial owner is a Russian citizen. Oschadbank’s tender committee unanimously refused to enter into an agreement with the company.
• Oschadbank has a multi-level procedural safeguard for supplier verification and the procurement process, which prevents the possibility of unilateral decisions and any influence, including political influence.
• Oschadbank has implemented the highest standards of corporate governance, which preclude any influence on decision-making at the bank’s board level. The five independent members of Oschadbank’s supervisory board, four of whom are foreigners with extensive experience working specifically in financial institutions, ensure adherence to high corporate standards and the bank’s absolute intolerance of corruption and political influence.
• Oschadbank CFO, Oleg Strynzha, has indeed been served with a notice of suspicion in connection with the aforementioned tender procurement. To uphold high standards of corporate governance, Mr. Strynzha has been temporarily suspended from chairing the bank’s tender committee, in accordance with his personal statement. He continues to perform his duties as a member of the bank’s management board.
• Oschadbank publicly emphasizes that the notice of suspicion is a procedural step and does not constitute a court verdict or a finding of guilt. Furthermore, to facilitate an objective investigation of the facts, the bank is providing all necessary materials to law enforcement and judicial authorities in accordance with the procedures established by current Ukrainian legislation.

Attempts to politicize the criminal proceedings, during which Oschadbank CFO Oleg Strynzha is defending his good name and business reputation, may negatively impact the objectivity and duration of the case and may be construed as pressure.