State-run Ukreximbank (Kyiv) Board Chairman Yevhen Metzger has apologized for the attack on the journalists of the Schemes TV program while recording an interview in the bank building.
“The events that took place in my office on Oct. 4, 2021 and were subsequently published by the Schemes editorial staff are unacceptable on my part (…). I sincerely apologize to the employees of the Schemes program Kyrylo Ovsyany and Oleksandr Mazur! At the moment, in the form of a letter, but I am always ready to do it in any form convenient for them,” the bank’s press service quoted him as saying on Facebook on Oct. 5.
In addition, Metzger apologized to his colleagues for damaging the bank’s image, as well as to all journalists in Ukraine.
Earlier, Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Denys Monastyrsky said that the police had involved in the investigation materials the video from the office of Ukreximbank Board Chairman Yevhen Metzger, which recorded illegal actions against Radio Liberty journalists.
Also, the press service of Ukreximbank reported that Metzger, who attacked the journalists of the Schemes (Schemes) TV program during the recording of an interview in the bank building, wrote a letter of resignation for the period of the investigation into the incident.
As Radio Liberty earlier reported, on Oct. 4, the camera crew of the Skhemy TV program was attacked during an interview with Metzger, allegedly because of one of the questions they did not like. According to the head of Schemes Natalia Sedletska, the bank employees took away two cameras, the cards on which the recording was carried out, and deleted the recorded video. According to journalists, all this time the camera crew remained locked in the office of the head of the bank’s board in his presence. An hour later, the equipment was returned to the camera crew, but the video of the entire interview and the attack itself was removed.
The police in Kyiv reported that, at the request of journalists, the necessary investigative actions are being carried out, criminal proceedings have been started under Part 1 of Article 171 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – obstruction of the legitimate professional activities of journalists.
Ukreximbank rejected the accusations of violating the law and, in turn, accused them of provocation and an attempt to seize banking secrets. According to the financial institution, the actions of the journalists contained signs of both illegal seizure of bank secrets and violation of the Code of Ethics of a Ukrainian journalist in terms of using illegal methods of obtaining information.
The bank said that in this situation, it is considering the possibility of contacting law enforcement agencies and bodies regulating activities in the field of television and radio broadcasting.
On Oct. 6, the Supervisory Board of Ukreximbank dismissed the bank’s board chairman Metzger for the period of investigation into the incident and appointed Serhiy Yermakov, a member of the board, as acting head of the board.
Metzger was appointed head of the bank’s board in March 2020. The head of the supervisory board of the financial institution is an independent member Oliana Hordiyenko. Dimitri Chichlo, Serhiy Konovets, Dominique Menu and Laszlo Urban are also independent members of the Supervisory Board. The Cabinet of Ministers is represented by Yuriy Butsa, the Verkhovna Rada by Yuriy Terentyev, and the Office of the President by Viktoria Strakhova.
According to the National Bank of Ukraine, as of June 1, 2021, Ukreximbank ranked third in terms of total assets (Hr 252.350 billion) among 73 banks operating in the country.
