SANTANDER bank told a British war hero it is closing his accounts without reason.
Ex-British soldier Shaun Pinner was captured, tortured and sentenced to death after volunteering to fight in Ukraine.
Former British soldier Shaun Pinner and the medal he received for fighting on the front line in Ukraine
Santander told war hero Shaun it was closing his bank account without reason
He was freed in an historic prisoner swap, given a medal by President Zelensky and wrote a book about his ordeal.
But he was stunned to get papers from Santander suggesting he was breaking sanctions.
Shaun told The Sun: “I couldn’t believe it.
“I have banked with Santander for 30 years.
“First they sent me a form called a sanctions exposure questionnaire.
“They wrote saying they are closing my accounts without giving any reason.”
He added: “I fought for Ukraine against Russia.
“I was tortured and starved as a prisoner of war and sentenced to death by a Moscow-backed court.
“I am the last person in the world do business with Vladimir Putin’s Russia, or do anything to help Russia.”
The government vowed to crack down on “unfair bank account closures” last year.
It said: “Banks will be forced to explain and delay any decision to close an account under new rules, protecting freedom of expression.”
The Treasury promised changes would increase the notice period to 90 days, to give people more time to challenge decisions through the Financial Ombudsman Service, or find a replacement bank.
It followed outcry over Coutts bank’s decision to close Nigel Farage’s account over his political beliefs.
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