Seizure of 2.24 hectares of forest on Kyiv Sea bank: land scheme boss suspected
NABU and SAPO have uncovered a scheme to misappropriate 2.24 hectares of forest land in the Vyshhorod district, the Kyiv region, valued at UAH 2.95 million.
According to the investigation, in 2015, an official of the State Geocadastre territorial office, acting as the Kyiv region land distribution boss, unlawfully transferred part of land in use of the district forestry to third parties. This was done without the consent of the forestry, while the parcels were transferred under the guise of agricultural land and garden plots.
To legalize the seized property, the scheme participants resorted to its division and merger, as well as the transfer of the ownership to third parties.
The suspects are:
- the former official of the State Geocadastre territorial department - Part 5 Art. 191, Part 3 Art. 27 and Part 2 Art. 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine;
- an individual who acquired the illegally allocated land plots - Part 2 Art. 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
It is worth noting that the former official of the State Geocadastre is also suspected of seizing significantly larger land areas - almost 920 hectares in Fastiv and about 284 hectares of the State Enterprise "Pushcha Voditsa".
According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is considered not-guilty in the commission of a crime and cannot be subject to criminal punishment until he or she is found guilty by court.
