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Progress of probe in embezzlement of DS-Bank’s funds

The Head Office of the Investigative Committee keeps looking into embezzlement of funds of DS-Bank whose license was revoked by the RF Central Bank in May 2016.

According to investigators, in April 2016, 585 million rubles, that was all the bank’s money, was transferred to accounts of sham firms disguised as irrevocable loans. Acting chairman of the Bank’s board Igor Sinyukhin, president of the Bank Fyodor Tsyrulnik, head of loans department Alexander Vdovin, as well as unemployed Andrei Kuznetsov and Vitaly Vergizov were charged in June with embezzlement under Article 160 of the RF Criminal Code. Sinyukhin, Vdovin and Kuznetsov were placed in custody, while Vergizov and Tsyrulnik were put on a wanted list.

Victor Averin, advisor to the president of DS-Bank, was detained in September 2017, placed in custody and charged with embezzlement after more evidence had been collected. According to the investigators, Averin, who had worked in such banks as Russian Credit, Nota-Bank, Transnational Bank and Lefko-Bank, took an active part in embezzling the assets of DS-Bank. He deliberately did not take any position in top-management of the bank, but using his extensive experience in banking, involved Vdovin and Tsyrulnik in the organized group, controlled their actions and made sure that the stolen money was cashed.

The investigators located Vergizov in November, detained him and a court ruled to place him in custody pending trial.

The investigators assess the role of Vergizov, who was considered as the one who together with Kuznetsov looked for phony firms, as a big one, based on statements of witnesses and confiscated documents. Along with Averin, Vergizov reported directly to the owners of the bank, against whom the investigators keep on gathering the evidence. He took part in cashing of the assets and spending the money, helped to secretly take out from DS-Bank documents and property and deliver them to European Standard Bank, where most of the staff had gone to work after the license had been revoked from DS-Bank.

The investigators also have made sure that Tsyrulnik, who was hiding in Mauritius since May 2016, returned to Russia of his own accord. He was taken in custody in accordance with the court’s order made after he had been put on an international wanted list.

The investigators continue the probe and are working to identify other people involved in the crime.

 

Spokesperson for the Investigative Committee                                                                                     Svetlana Petrenko