NAAS land theft: indictment sent to court

The investigation into the allocation of 15 hectares of state lands to private inpiduals has been completed. On Dec. 21, 2019, SAPO prosecutors filed an indictment against nine people with the High Anti-Corruption Court.

The following persons are charged with a crime under Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine ("Misappropriation, embezzlement or conversion of property by abuse of official post"):

• the ex-president of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine (scheme's organizer) - Part 3 Art. 27, Part 5 Art. 191, Part 3 Art. 15, Part 1 Art. 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine;
• an officer of the Security Service of Ukraine (organizer) - Part 3 Art. 27, Part 5 Art. 191, Part 3 Art. 15, Part 1 Art. 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine;
• the vice-president of NAAS (accomplice) - Part 5 Art. 191, Part 3 of Art. 15, Part 5 Art. 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine;
• the director of National Research Center "Institute of Agriculture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine" (accomplice) - Part 5 Art. 191, Part 3 of Art. 15, Part 5 Art. 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine;
• the ex-head of the department of NRC "Institute of Agriculture of NAAS" (accomplice) - Part 5 Art. 27, Part 5 Art. 191, Part 3 Art. 15 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine;
• the ex-director of SE "EF "Chabany" of "NRC "IA of NAAS" (accomplice) - Part 5 Art. 191, Part 3 Art. 15 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine;
• the ex-head of the State Land Cadastre Office of the Main Department of the State Land Agency in Kyiv region (accomplice) - Part 5 Art. 191, Part 3 Art. 15 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine;
• the ex-chief scientific secretary of NAAS (accomplice) - Part 5 Article 191, Part 3 Article 15, Part 1 Art. 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine;
• the ex-deputy head of the Main Department of the State Land Agency in Kyiv region (accomplice) - Part 5 Article 191, Part 3 of Article 15 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

As established, in 2013-2014, NAAS officials passed several decisions that caused more than 15 hectares of state lands to be illegally transferred to private ownership. These are 138 plots in the suburbs of Kyiv (the village of Hatne), which had the status of particularly valuable land and were to be used exclusively for research purposes.

The decision to allocate and change the purpose of such land may be made only by the Verkhovna Rada on the proposal of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. Instead, NAAS officials in collusion with officials of the State Land Agency in Kyiv region (at present - the State Service of Ukraine for Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre) ignored the law (Articles 149, 150 of the Land Code of Ukraine) and single-handedly agreed to terminate the right of SE "EF "Chabany" of "NRC "IA of NAAS" for permanent use of the land.

As a result, 138 plots became the property of predetermined persons. Those included not only suspects and their relatives, but also SSU officers, officials at NAAS, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, and other authorities.

NABU was investigating the above facts from April 2017 to December 2019.

According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is considered non-guilty in the commission of a crime and cannot be subject to criminal punishment until he or she is found guilty by court.