Employees of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) sent charges to the court against the former chief forester, engineer of the Khust Forest Experimental State Enterprise, head of the department of the Transcarpathian Regional Forestry and Hunting Administration, as well as the head of the department of the Uzhansky National Natural Park, due to whose negligence trees were illegally cut down for more than 11 million UAH.
This is reported by the SBI.
The engineer-head of the farm carelessly treated his duties, improperly examined the plots and incorrectly took the territory under sanitary felling. The chief forester, who was supposed to check the correctness of the allotted plots, also did not do this.
The head of the department of the regional management of forestry and hunting also neglected his duties. He signed a logging ticket for solid and sanitary felling in an area where only selective felling can be carried out.
Damage to the environment due to such actions of officials amounted to more than UAH 10.5 million. All three men have already been dismissed from their positions. A civil lawsuit has been filed for compensation for damages.
The head of the branch of the Uzhan National Nature Park did not ensure the inspection of the state of forest protection, did not take measures to prevent illegal felling, as a result of which 119 trees were illegally cut down on the territory entrusted to her. This caused damage to the environment in the amount of more than half a million hryvnias. The official was also dismissed from her position.
All 4 defendants are charged with official negligence (Part 2 of Article 367 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The sanction of the article provides for punishment in the form of deprivation of liberty for a term of up to 5 years.
The other day, EkoPolitic told that the law enforcement officers exposed an organized criminal group that, with the assistance of officials, illegally cut down trees worth UAH 7 million on the territory of the Manevytskyi and Kolkivskyi forestry enterprises in Volyn.
