Nadezhda Ermakova was elected Chairman of the Board of Belgazprombank. This decision was made at a meeting of the board of directors, the website of the financial organization reports.
Earlier, Ermakova headed the interim administration appointed by the National Bank. Her powers expired on December 10, 2020, after which Irina Potapova began to perform the duties of the chairman of the board. She currently holds a specially appointed position of the first deputy chairman of the board.
Ermakova is a longtime associate of the head of the republic, Alexander Lukashenko. Previously, she headed Belarusbank and the National Bank. According to Tut.by sources, the former official explained her desire to take this post on instructions from the president.
Also, the source claims that the bank’s shareholders (Gazprom and Gazprombank) opposed Ermakova, but the authorities of the republic organized pressure on them. It is possible that the country’s leadership needed control over Belgazprombank for the future trial of Viktor Babariko. The latter headed the bank for 20 years, but after trying to run for president, he was arrested on corruption charges and is still in custody.
In June, when the interim administration was introduced, Gazprom and Gazprombank opposed such a decision, later they did not interact with Ermakova and even spent money on an external audit of her work. Also, Russian shareholders withdrew almost all funds from the bank.