By Natalia Zinets and Ilya Zhegulev

KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine’s third-largest financial institution dismissed its chairman on Monday after a Kyiv court docket ordered him to be put underneath home arrest whereas police examine a scuffle with journalists in his workplace.

Final week, police and prosecutors launched an investigation after the information outlet Radio Liberty stated employees on the state-run Ukreximbank attacked a group of its journalists who have been investigating the financial institution’s lending practices.

Ukreximbank’s supervisory board suspended its chairman, Yevgen Metsger, and apologised to the journalists after Radio Liberty aired footage and audio of the incident. Metsger has stated he would resign if police discovered him responsible of a criminal offense.

On Monday a court docket ordered Metsger to stay underneath home arrest between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. each night time, the Kyiv metropolis prosecutor’s workplace stated in a press release.

“Two individuals, the top of the financial institution and the official in command of info coverage. have been positioned underneath night time home arrest,” it stated.

Metsger couldn’t instantly be reached for remark however he has beforehand apologised for what he described as an “overly emotional response and unrestrained behaviour in direction of the journalists”.

The financial institution’s supervisory board issued a press release on Monday night saying Metsger himself had formally initiated the “termination of fixed-term employment contract on his personal initiative” and was subsequently dismissed.

The financial institution stated it had appointed an interim chairman till a everlasting alternative was discovered by subsequent April on the newest.

Radio Liberty stated reporters from its programme “Schemes” are investigating a mortgage made by the financial institution. The financial institution has denied any wrongdoing over loans and stated banking secrecy legal guidelines prevented it from discussing the matter.

Radio Liberty stated it had managed to revive footage of the confrontation with Metsger regardless of the financial institution’s try and delete it. Within the video, Metsger is heard refusing to present an interview and ordering employees to grab the cameras and destroy all footage.