MOSCOW, May 27 (RIA Novosti) – The board of directors of Rosbank, the Russian subsidiary of French banking giant Societe Generale, has fired Rosbank’s CEO Vladimir Golubkov following accusations of bribe-taking against him, the bank said on its website on Monday.
Golubkov and his subordinate, senior vice president Tamara Polyanitsyna, were detained in a televised police raid on his office in mid-May as Golubkov accepted a bribe payment, investigators said.
Golubkov received 5 million rubles ($160,000), part of a $1.5 million bribe he had demanded from a commercial organization for extending a loan agreement and signing an additional agreement with a lower interest rate and monthly payments, investigators claimed.
Golubkov, who faces up to seven years in jail if convicted, has denied the charges against him and said he was willing to cooperate with the investigation to prove his innocence.
Both Golubkov and Polyanitsyna have been placed under house arrest. Polyanitsyna’s lawyer Ignat Yavorsky said previously she had admitted her involvement in the crime and testified against her boss when confronted by investigators with evidence.
Rosbank is one of Russia’s top three retail banks, with over 3 million private clients, according to the bank’s website. Golubkov, 48, has headed Rosbank since September 2008.
French banking giant Societe Generale acquired 20 percent minus one share of Rosbank in 2006 with an option to take control. In February 2008, Societe Generale exercised its option to gain a controlling stake in the bank and eventually consolidated its holdings in the company to over 80 percent.
