Before its nationalization in July 2023, Sense Bank, formerly known as Alfa-Bank, stood as one of Ukraine's largest financial institutions, owned by ABH Financial Limited and ABH Ukraine Limited. (sensebank.ua)Documents obtained by the Kyiv Independent show that a scheme at the center of Ukraine’s latest corruption scandal was years in the making, built by manipulating a state-owned bank’s oversight board after its nationalization in 2023.On Aug. 19, Ukraine's anti-corruption authorities accused associates of President Volodymyr Zelensky of using Sense Bank, formerly Russian-owned Alfa Bank, to launder Hr 150 million ($3.4 million). The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) says the funds were used to secure bail for Energy and Justice Minister Herman Haluschenko, a key figure in a $100 million kickback scheme at the country's state-owned nuclear company Energoatom.This is the third major corruption case tied to the president's inner circle in the past year — all connected to the same network. The scandal was first uncovered in November, when fugitive businessman Timur Mindich, Zelensky's former business partner, was accused of running a kickback scheme at Energoatom. Former President's Office chief Andriy Yermak was later arrested over his alleged role in the scheme.