Schemy Publish Major Investigation into Ukreximbank

Journalists showed the questions that led to their cameras being confiscated.

Journalists of Schemy published a major investigation into state-owned Ukreximbank, whose crew was attacked by staff a few days ago. 

Within a few days, the bank and its chairman of the board, Yevgeny Metsger, became known across the country because of the attack on Schemy journalists during an interview. 

In the investigation, journalists found that the bank issued $60 million in loans to companies of a businessman whose company operates in the occupied part of Donbas, where the so-called "DNR" group operates with Russian support, and pays taxes to the occupation authorities. 

As collateral for the return of these funds, the bank accepted an asset whose value and reliability are doubtful, as it has been the subject of a years-long struggle in several jurisdictions. 

According to the journalists, this is dangerous because problem loans at state banks typically become a financial burden on the state budget, and therefore on taxpayers. 

In addition, a criminal case led by the State Bureau of Investigation, supervised by the Office of the Prosecutor General, is still ongoing, and as a result the property complex of the shopping center has been repeatedly seized. 

Schemy journalists are not sure whether such collateral can be considered reliable, and whether the state bank would be able to sell the shopping center and recover its money if necessary. 

The video also features the last questions to Yevgeny Metsger before the attack: "Why did the state Ukreximbank, headed by Yevgeny Metsger, issue a multimillion-dollar loan to a businessman who runs a business and pays taxes in occupied territory? Were all the necessary checks carried out? If so, could the bank really not establish this information? And if it did, why didn't this stop the bank's credit committee?".

Excerpt from the interview before its end:

— Wrap up the interview, because some nonsense has started, — Metsger said. 

— I can leave you the documents so you can review them, — offered Kirill Ovsyanyi. 

— I know all these documents...

— And these documents are also about the "DNR"?

— All these documents. That is, you possess some unverified data and are trying to tell me something...

— We verified it through several sources. 

— Through which ones? Maybe you should first submit your questions and requests? And only then ask them to me?

Then the bank chairman goes to make a phone call. 

— Any more questions? — asks Volodymyr Pikalov. 

— Yes. Can you comment? Was this company, this person who was granted the loan by the state bank, checked? — Ovsyanyi replies. 

At this time Pikalov begins interfering with the filming, and cameraman Oleksandr Mazur asks him not to touch the camera. Metsger continues: "You're asking me such information... I don't want to comment anymore. Get an official request. Write an official request, get an official answer. Volodya, turn him off, please, he's walking around here" (Metsger addresses Pikalov, pointing at the cameraman).