OREANDA-NEWS. September 05, 2011. The representative of the MEP Group Limited Renata Usatyi told the news conference that the company represented by him had received Universalbank’s shareholding according to the court’s decree in respect of the former stock owner, Russian citizen, German Gorbuntsov on recovery of the USDD 5.283 mln debt.

He said the transaction had been made according to the legislation in force and the procedure of registration of the new control stock owner in the National Bank of Moldova is being carried out at the moment. At the same time, he drew attention to the unhealthy atmosphere around this transaction, the fact that might have a negative impact on the bank’s work.

“I can’t understand, why do the law-enforcement structures, without checking the whole information, let themselves carry on with the statements of the former stock owner German Gorbuntsov and even comment upon them”, said Renato Usatii. – The personality of this man is quite well known in the Russian circles – he has criminal cases instituted against him, he avoids meetings with creditors and all his friends and partners are either in jail or have no means of subsistence”.

He also said the new investor’s representatives had been in the Universalbank just once and at the moment don’t have information about the bank’s client base and about a possible client outflow. Renato Usatyi assured that the new investor had come for a long time, is ready to work with responsibility and further actions will confirm this fact. At the same time, he refused to name the new membership of the bank’s shareholders or to say what the origin of the company-investor is.

According to the unofficial information, MEP Group is registered in Panama. As it was reported earlier, the transaction with a 78.61-percent shareholding (68.3 thousand shares) of the Universalbank at the price of 350 leis per a share (the face value – 1,660 leis) in the total amount of 24.25 mln leis was registered at the Moldovan Stock Exchange on August 12. The bank’s press service reported that the National Commission for Financial Market basing on the address of the National Bank of Moldova officially suspended clearing operations in respect of Universalbank’s securities circulation.

The National Commission for Financial Market also ordered to suspend operations with shares of the bank that are owned by Fincom JSC and Banca Sociala until results of examination of materials concerning clearing operations with Universalbank’s securities.