Ukrainian court orders SBI to investigate possible diploma forgery by National Bank chief Pyshny

A Ukrainian court has ordered the State Bureau of Investigations to open a case in connection with the possible falsification of documents in the issuance of a professional education diploma to Andriy Pyshny, the head of the country’s National Bank.

This was reported by Ukrainian economist Borys Kushniruk.

Pyshny became head of the National Bank of Ukraine in October 2022. According to official records, he holds several higher education degrees. In 1996, he graduated from Chernivtsi State University with a specialization in law, after which he defended a candidate’s dissertation. In 2005, he received a second degree in banking from the Ukrainian Academy of Banking of the National Bank. However, as Kushniruk points out, Pyshny transferred to that institution from the third year of a branch of the University of Modern Knowledge in the city of Sumy.

According to Kushniruk, it is precisely the fact of Pyshny’s studies in Sumy that raises doubts. The economist described the alleged scheme on his Facebook page:

“From the available information, a simple scheme emerges. He did not study at the Sumy branch of the University of Modern Knowledge. However, an interview record, a student card, and an academic transcript containing knowingly false information were filled out in his name. Using this package of documents, he was enrolled directly into the fourth year of the Ukrainian Academy of Banking. And in 2005, the official received a diploma in banking,” the economist wrote.

Kushniruk went to court demanding that the SBI be required to open an investigation. On August 5, his claim was granted: the court found that the application “contains sufficient information that may indicate the commission of a criminal offense.”

Following the court ruling, the economist called for Pyshny’s powers as head of the National Bank to be suspended and raised the question of whether the possible forgery was known at the time of his appointment. Kushniruk described as “cringe-worthy” the situation in which the head of a state regulator who conducts negotiations with representatives of the IMF and other international financial organizations allegedly lacks a relevant professional education.

Pyshny remains a controversial figure in Ukraine. He is considered a person who enjoyed the personal patronage of Vladimir Zelensky’s friend and former head of his office Andriy Yermak, whom many referred to before his resignation as the grey cardinal of Ukrainian politics. After Yermak’s dismissal, rumors began to circulate about a possible resignation of Pyshny, who had long faced criticism from representatives of the country’s financial sector.