As recently as the morning of August 19, Iryna Mudra remained one of the most influential lawyers in the government—the deputy head of the Office of the President, responsible for legal policy, international litigation, and matters related to the judicial system. Just a few hours later, her name found itself at the center of one of the year’s most high-profile anti-corruption stories.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) announced a large-scale special operation codenamed “Forest Gump.” According to anti-corruption agencies, the operation targeted a group that may have included current and former members of parliament, high-ranking officials from the Office of the President, representatives of a state-owned bank, and other individuals. According to investigators, 150 million hryvnias were allegedly laundered through a state-owned bank to post bail for one of the suspects in another high-profile case—Operation “Midas.”
On the same day, news broke of investigative actions targeting Mudra. Shortly thereafter, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed her from her position as deputy head of the Office of the President. The decree itself does not explain the reasons for the dismissal, but the timing coinciding with the NABU operation was more than telling.
On the evening of August 19, Iryna Mudra was detained. She is currently undergoing investigative procedures at NABU and is expected to spend the night in a temporary detention facility.
UA.News explains who Iryna Mudra is, how a lawyer with many years of experience in the banking sector rose to the highest echelons of government, what is known about her possible role in the “Forest Gump” case, and why certain questions have arisen regarding her activities in connection with the IBOX Bank case.
A person who knew the banking system from the inside
Iryna Mudra entered the government from the banking system—an environment where financial monitoring rules, regulatory requirements, compliance, and legal risks are part of everyday work.
Mudra was born on July 26, 1975, in the Lviv region. She holds degrees in law and economics and has spent a significant portion of her professional life in the financial sector. Over the years, she worked at Transbank, Swedbank, Pravex Bank, and the state-owned Oschadbank.
Her work went beyond simply providing legal support for banking operations. Mudra was involved in areas that serve as safeguards within a financial institution: monitoring compliance with legislation, interacting with regulators, risk assessment, and compliance.
At Oschadbank, she eventually headed the division responsible for compliance control and oversight of regulatory requirements. In other words, she was well-versed in the mechanisms banks use to verify transactions, identify suspicious transactions, and respond to potential financial risks.
Against the backdrop of the “Forest Gump” reports, this part of her biography stands out particularly starkly today. After all, the state-owned bank and the transactions that, according to investigators, were used to launder a large sum of money are at the center of the new NABU investigation.
From the Ministry of Justice to Bankova Street
In May 2022, Mudra entered public service and became Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine.
Her public role at the Ministry of Justice was largely focused on Russia’s international legal liability for its aggression against Ukraine, the confiscation of Russian assets, the creation of compensation mechanisms, and the promotion of the idea of a special tribunal.
On March 29, 2024, Mudra’s career took another leap forward—she was appointed deputy head of the Office of the President. Since then, she has been at the heart of one of the country’s key decision-making centers.
In this way, Mudra gained access to legal and international processes at the highest level.
IBOX Bank and the Court Ruling
Certain questions regarding Iryna Mudra’s activities have arisen in the context of the IBOX Bank case.
According to UA.News, during the investigation into the IBOX Bank case, Iryna Mudra personally called judges and told them exactly what decisions were expected of them in specific cases.
At that time, she was already the deputy head of the Office of the President and was responsible for legal matters at the highest level of government.
The timeline of court rulings in the proceedings surrounding IBOX Bank also raises questions for the defense.
One of the key figures in this story is Volodymyr Marmash, a judge of the Lychakiv District Court of Lviv. UA.News has repeatedly reported on this judge and the rulings he has issued in criminal cases.
In particular, on November 16, 2023, Volodymyr Marmash considered a motion to extend the pretrial investigation period to six months. This was preceded by a change in jurisdictional authority on the very day that the Pechersky District Court of Kyiv was scheduled to consider complaints against orders to suspend the investigation.
On June 14, 2024, the judge granted a motion to remand Iryna Tsyhanok in custody in absentia. The defense argued that there were no proper grounds for suspicion, an international arrest warrant, or a proper summons.
In October 2024, Marmash also denied Aliona Shevtsova’s complaint against the orders to suspend the investigation. However, on November 5, another court ruling overturned those orders.
On March 13, 2025, Marmash authorized a special pretrial investigation. The defense argued that the decision had been made after the statute of limitations for the investigation had expired and without sufficient evidence to justify an international arrest warrant.
Another incident occurred on May 8, 2025. The defense was given only until June 27 to review approximately 50 volumes of case files and about 100,000 pages of bank statements.
After a lengthy investigation and legal proceedings, on July 29, 2025, the Holosiivskyi District Court of Kyiv dismissed the criminal case against Alona Shevtsova, Iryna Tsyganok, and Zoia Nesterovska due to the expiration of the pre-trial investigation period, and on October 2, the Kyiv Court of Appeals upheld this decision.
The court also lifted the asset freezes on IBOX Bank’s property that had been in place as part of these proceedings.
UA.News spoke with Alona Shevtsova, chair of the supervisory board of IBOX Bank.
“Frankly speaking, given what happened today with Mudra, I’m not surprised. I’ve known for years about her true intentions: not to fight corruption, but to control it and use the system for her own benefit.
Unfortunately, it is precisely such people and such impunity that have been destroying the state for years. And we mustn’t forget: when corruption, lawlessness, and venality become the norm, the consequences aren’t measured only in money or positions—Ukrainians pay for them with their lives.
As the saying goes, you can take a girl out of the village, but you can never take the village out of the girl. A constant thirst for illicit gain, unhealthy ambition, and a willingness to carry out the “master’s” will—just to maintain influence—ultimately lead to what we see today.
Iryna Mudra, it seems, decided at one point that there were no rules for her: that she could control the courts, put pressure on businesses, decide other people’s fates, and remain untouchable. But sooner or later, even the most unpunished career comes to an end.
I hope that this time—her career will end as well,” Shevtsova noted.
“Phone Law” as a Threat to Judicial Independence
In a comment to UA.News, a lawyer called the possible practice of informal phone calls to judges unacceptable and dangerous for the justice system itself.
“So-called ‘telephone justice’ is absolutely unacceptable in a democratic state. If an official can call a judge and effectively tell them what decision to make, it means that judicial independence exists only in name. Such practices do not bring us closer to the European legal system; on the contrary, they drag us down to the level of third-world countries,” lawyer Pavlo Kotsyubynskyi told UA.News.
According to him, in such a situation, a court’s decision depends not only on the law and the case files, but also on informal influence from government officials.
NABU’s recordings and the phrase about controlling corruption
A new scandal surrounding Iryna Mudra erupted on August 19, 2026, when NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) announced the launch of a special operation codenamed “Forrest Gump.”
According to investigators, a group of individuals organized the laundering of 150 million hryvnias in cash obtained through criminal means. The money was to be funneled into the legal economy through the accounts of shell companies and then used to post bail for one of the defendants in the “Midas” case.
In NABU’s recordings, this individual is referred to as “German.” The media and members of parliament linked this reference to former Minister Herman Galushchenko, for whom a bail of 150 million hryvnias was indeed posted in June 2026.
The released recordings suggest that the participants discussed not only the origin of the money but also how exactly to move it through the financial system so that the transactions would not attract undue attention from law enforcement and financial monitoring authorities.
In one segment, a participant says that 200 million hryvnias were brought “for Herman” and that they now need to decide how to transfer the required amount. They then discuss the option of splitting the money into several payments of 50 million hryvnia each and involving other people in the transactions. The recordings also mention specific individuals who were supposed to provide portions of the required amount.
According to the investigation, companies and individuals under their control were used to launder the funds, and certain payments were made in such a way as to circumvent automated transaction monitoring that could have drawn the attention of the State Financial Monitoring Service.
The final segment of one of the released recordings caused a particular stir.
In it, a woman—whom several media outlets have linked to Mudra—relays another person’s position: it is allegedly wrong to fight corruption in Ukraine—it needs to be “systematized and kept under control.” Her interlocutor adds: “and led.”
This phrase was perhaps the most toxic moment in all the released recordings.
Other recordings also mention the so-called “Israeli refugee Timur.” The media link this reference to Timur Mindich—one of the central figures in the “Midas” case, who is currently in Israel.
In addition, the released materials contain discussions about the future leadership of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. The interlocutors discuss what will become of their “future” if SAPO head Oleksandr Klymenko remains in office for another term.
Thus, “Forrest Gump” has gone far beyond the story of a single bail bond.
Sense Bank and Talk of “Flows”
A separate strand of the “Forrest Gump” operation concerns the state-owned Sense Bank.
According to investigators, in early June 2026, the scheme’s organizers gained de facto control over the bank and subsequently used its infrastructure to channel some of the funds needed for the bail.
Judging by public records, the story surrounding the bank began even earlier.
In recordings related to the “Midas” case, the individuals involved discussed the possibility of placing their representatives on Sense Bank’s supervisory board according to certain “quotas.” On May 9, 2025, an individual identified by investigators as Vasyl Veselyi—a former advisor to the supervisory board and a possible informal supervisor of the bank—discussed personnel matters with Oleksandr Tsukerman.
Approximately 40 days later, the government appointed individuals whose names were mentioned in this conversation to the supervisory board.
This story continued in new materials published by “Forest Gump.”
According to information released by MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak, citing investigative materials, unidentified individuals from the Office of the President allegedly tasked Iryna Mudra with bringing Sense Bank under the control of the Office of the President to prevent other power groups from gaining control over it. According to the same account, this initiative may have been supported by certain members of the bank’s supervisory board and management board.
It was after this, the investigation materials assert, that the bank was used in a scheme to prepare a 150 million hryvnia collateral.
On June 16, according to published reports, a meeting took place between a former member of parliament and the bank’s board chairman.
Afterward, the first tranche of 50 million hryvnia was allegedly delivered to the former MP’s office. Of this amount, 15 million hryvnia went to a trusted individual, while another 35 million hryvnia was transferred to a so-called conversion center or “laundromat.” On the same day, another tranche of 10 million hryvnias was transferred.
The investigation also indicates that, after the transactions were carried out, the chairman of the bank’s supervisory board allegedly reported to the deputy head of the Office of the President that the funds had been credited to the accounts of the companies involved in the scheme.
Specific figures illustrate the scale of the misuse of the banking infrastructure.
According to Zheleznyak, 50 million hryvnias may have been transferred directly from accounts at Sense Bank to the account of the High Anti-Corruption Court.
Another 37.86 million hryvnia passed from the account of the company “Giran Konstrukt” at Sense Bank through the company “Tetras Optima.”
Thus, the total cash flow linked to Sense Bank and the collateral could have amounted to at least 87.86 million hryvnias, although part of these funds were merely in transit.
According to the investigation, the company “Tetrass Optima” may have been involved in the transfers, through which a total of 54 million hryvnias were transferred. Of this amount, 37.86 million hryvnias initially came from an account at Sense Bank.
The case files also mention members of the bank’s management. The media named Board Chairman Oleksiy Stupak, financial monitoring officials, and the then-chairman of the supervisory board, Mykola Hladyshchenko. On August 19, investigative actions were carried out, in particular, at the office of Sense Bank’s supervisory board.
Iryna Mudra rose through the ranks from the banking sector and compliance to the Ministry of Justice, and later to one of the highest offices in the state. Her career revolved around law, oversight, and compliance. That is precisely why current events seem particularly jarring to her.
The NABU operation “Forrest Gump,” the investigative actions, and her subsequent dismissal from the position of deputy head of the Office of the President have already dealt a serious blow to her reputation. Added to this are reports from UA.News regarding possible interference in the court proceedings surrounding IBOX Bank.
Therefore, following Mudra’s dismissal, the main question is no longer about her future career. What is far more important is whether law enforcement and the public will receive a clear answer as to exactly what role she played in the proceedings that have now found themselves at the center of several high-profile scandals.
