A British volunteer who makes regular humanitarian trips to Ukraine has been told by Santander that it is shutting down all of his UK bank accounts with no explanation given.
Paul Tovey, who delivers aid and four-wheel drive vehicles to the war zone, has until Christmas to move his funds elsewhere despite complying with a gamut of strict new checks.
Mr Tovey appears to be part of a clampdown by banks on UK-Ukrainian transactions, which business leaders say is hampering work to support the country’s war-shattered economy.
He told Metro that the bank’s ‘Know Your Customer’ department contacted him several months ago about transactions he had made in Ukraine, which he said were innocuous items along the lines of ‘lattes and hotel bills’.
The volunteer complied with the checks and another round of more intrusive requests for personal data, including his property deeds.
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‘When Santander first contacted me they said Ukraine is sanctioned, and I had to send them information from the UK government website showing it is not one of the sanctioned countries,’ he said.
‘They then said Russia is sanctioned and I told them that Russia is not Ukraine. I have not even been near the Russian-occupied territories, as most of my work is in Ternopil and Kyiv.
‘I found out they can legally ask for this information, so with a heavy heart I sent them all the information, which I wouldn’t normally give out to anyone, let alone with the present data security concerns, and they said they wouldn’t be closing my account.’
Then, at the end of last month, Mr Tovey received three letters from the bank stating that his current, credit card and joint account with his wife will be closed down on December 29.
He told Metro that he has not been given a reason for the account closures despite providing the evidence, and been told by the Spanish banking giant that he has escalated his complaint as far as it can go.
‘They did not give me any explanation and would only say that at this moment in time they can’t offer me banking services and this doesn’t preclude offering them to me in the future,’ he said.
‘According to Experia, I have an excellent credit rating and there is nothing wrong with any aspect of my finances. Presumably, I’ve been working in Ukraine and they think that because Russia is sanctioned, I’m not worth the reward for the potential risk, and that’s it.’
Santander has previously said that ‘transactions with Ukraine’s non-government controlled regions are complex’ but has not given a reason for de-banking the British volunteer, other than to say his removal is legal and ‘in accordance with our terms and conditions’.
Although Mr Tovey has been to frontline areas in Sumy and Kharkiv, the majority of his work has been in the western city of Ternopil, near Lviv, far from territory illegally occupied by Russia.
He travels to the war zone every two to three months supporting medical rehabilitation, displaced mothers and babies, animal shelters and driving trucks and SUVs across Europe for use by Kyiv’s armed forces through the Wheels of Victory charitable foundation.
Speaking to Metro from his home near Tonbridge in Kent, Mr Tovey said: ‘The job is tough enough without the banks doing even more damage.
‘I’m hoping this is banking paranoia because there are Russian troops making transactions in occupied areas of Ukraine.
‘It goes back to 2023 when it was reported that banks were shutting down the accounts of British firms with Ukrainian links, and I just think it is really bad that they are now going after individual volunteers in the same way.
‘They need to take a more common-sense approach.’
The British-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce previously warned that Western banks were closing members’ accounts due to concerns over Russian sanctions and money laundering, even for a single transaction.
The organisation called for a UK government review of the de-banking of Politically Exposed Persons — which was triggered by Nigel Farage’s dispute with luxury bank Coutts — to cover transactions with Ukraine.
However, the UK Treasury responded at the time by saying the focus of the review was on individuals rather than businesses.
Other reports have emerged of individual British nationals supporting the country being de-banked — including war veteran Shaun Pinner, who was freed after being captured and tortured by Vladimir Putin’s forces.
The clampdown comes despite the UK being one of the leading nations supporting Ukraine, including through committing £21.8 billion to the country since the start of the all-out invasion in February 2022.
Mr Tovey reaffirmed his commitment to Ukraine, despite the financial upheaval which means he will now have to bank elsewhere.
‘What has happened to the Ukrainians is just so unfair,’ he said.
‘They are just like us. All they want is a normal day, they want to moan about the weather, not worry about being hit by a drone or a missile. They are peaceful people who want to live a peaceful life, just like anyone else.’
Santander maintains that accounts can be closed for a number of reasons, including but not limited to receiving charitable donations without being a registered charity, making transactions or payments in prohibited regions or for other reasons captured by its terms and conditions.
A spokesperson said: ‘We only exit customers in accordance with our terms and conditions and in line with our legal and regulatory obligations.’
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