A Kyiv resident accuses PrivatBank of deducting 41,576 hryvnias from his account based on forged documents, leading to a court decision.

A man is accusing PrivatBank of debiting 41,576 hryvnias from his account. Employees of the financial institution did this based on forged documents. This is stated in a decision by the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv, published on September 26, 2024.

Between 2016 and 2017, the man entered into 15 identical deposit agreements titled "Deposit Plus" with JSC CB "PrivatBank" for a term of 12 months. From 2016 to 2018, in accordance with the terms of the deposit agreements and additional agreements, the financial institution lawfully credited him monthly separate amounts of interest at a rate of 2% per annum on each of the 15 cash deposits to a single bank account, the number of which was not specified in the texts of the "Deposit Plus" agreements. After the maturity dates of all 15 deposits on February 2, 2018, the bank account of JSC CB "PrivatBank" held funds due to him amounting to 49,195 hryvnias, lawfully acquired on the basis of the 15 "Deposit Plus" agreements for a term of 12 months.

"On May 4, 2022, bank employees fraudulently transferred funds from the plaintiff's account to an outsider's account based on forged documents. For two years, the defendant has refused to provide the plaintiff with a copy of the payment order dated May 4, 2022, for the transfer of funds amounting to 41,576 hryvnias, which were on the bank account on May 3, 2022," the case materials state.

What was the court's decision?

The court denied the man's claim. The funds amounting to 41,576 hryvnias were in his bonus account.

"According to the rules of providing banking services, a bonus account is a special account that does not contain funds in monetary form, but rather bonuses. Bonuses in the bonus account do not belong to (are not the property of) the cardholder (individual). Furthermore, according to the terms, the cardholder (individual) has no right to demand these bonuses in monetary form, as per point 1.1.1.10 of the bank's terms, the funds do not belong to the client, but are a liability of JSC CB 'PrivatBank' on one side and merchants (partners under the 'Bonus Plus' program) on the other. The court concluded to deny the claim," emphasized the court.