1+1 Media has issued a press release in reaction to a request from the National Bank of Ukraine to get access to the personal data and accounts of the group’s employees. Below is the text of 1+1’s statement:

“On February 8, 2018, we got the request from the National Bank of Ukraine to the acting Chairman of the Board of PrivatBank with a request to disclose information on the movement of bank accounts of top managers, journalists and 1+1 Media" reporters, as well as independent production staff who produce part of the content for our media group. 
We regard this request as a direct pressure from the top management of the country and attempts of political persecution on the eve of the elections. 

We are extremely concerned about this document and the desire of the National Bank to access the banking secrecy of several staff of 1+1 Media. Moreover, we have a number of questions: 

1. Since when the banking secrecy has ceased to affect the staff of our media group?

2. If this information, as recently adopted by the NBU, relates to investigations on PrivatBank, are there any relevant requests for a number of other companies and clients of the bank?

3. Has the work on e-declaration of all Ukrainian officials already been completed, so that it was time in state organizations to engage in financial transactions of journalists, presenters and managers of media organizations?

4. Who is the initiator of the request and can it be considered the next step − after trying not to give the channel a license last year, attempts to announce in the state treason of the channel's presenter this year, as well as the threat of the eviction of the telecener from the office at Kyrylivska Street, which is directed against our media group? 

We hope to receive responses in the near future, and official requests have already sent to the relevant organizations.”