Land scheme in Zakarpattia: two face forgery charges

NABU and SAPO have served a suspicion notice on two persons who falsified evidence in a criminal case concerning the sale of a prime city-center plot in Zakarpattia at a reduced price.

According to the investigation, two owners of the evaluating firm, suspected of receiving an undue advantage from an official, submitted documents to the court regarding the market rental value of agricultural land. These documents, allegedly prepared at the official's request in August 2023, were given as “evidence” to prove that the funds they received were payment for their services rather than a bribe. 

However, as detectives discovered, one of the suspects had prepared the documents in June 2024, just a day before the court session where preventive measures were to be decided. The documents were allegedly intended to mislead the judges and bolster the suspect's claim of “innocence.”

The suspect's actions fall under Part 1 of Article 384, Part 2 of Article 384 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

As reported, in June 2024, NABU, SAPO, and the Security Service of Ukraine exposed the city mayor and the head of the district council in Zakarpattia who abused their official positions to sell a land plot in the city center, over 3 hectares in size, at a significantly undervalued price.

The city mayor, in particular, ensured the city council session adopted a decision to sell the plot at a price nearly nine times lower than its actual value to a private company controlled by the district council head, a former MP.

The basis for this was a falsified monetary valuation of the plot, for which the owners of the evaluating firm were bribed.