The State Bureau of Investigations has announced that it suspects Yuriy Bolokhovets, the CEO of the state-owned enterprise “Forests of Ukraine,” of illegal enrichment (Article 368-5 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
This was announced by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Ruslan Kravchenko.
According to the investigation, in 2021, while serving as the head of the State Forestry Agency, the suspect acquired assets worth UAH 10.4 million, which exceed his legal income.
Among them is an apartment in Kyiv worth over UAH 9 million, which was allegedly registered to a front man but was actually used by Bolokhovets.
According to the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAZK), the difference between his official income and the acquired property is UAH 7.9 million.
“This is just one episode in dozens of criminal proceedings involving the State Enterprise ”Forests of Ukraine," Kravchenko commented on the suspicion.
The State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” has already responded to Bolokhovets' arrest.
"All of Yuriy Bolokhovets' assets are listed in the declaration. The properties leased by Yuriy Bolokhovets' family belong to real owners with confirmed incomes and were acquired legally. The pressure on Yuriy Bolokhovets is related to his principled position on transparent market mechanisms for timber sales and systematic work to de-shadow the forestry industry," the company said.
In January, EcoPolitic reported that Bolokhovets had set up a private farmstead covering more than 80 hectares in the forests of Chernihiv region.
In April, the official declared “free accommodation” in an elite apartment in Kyiv.
According to Eco Factor, Yuriy Bolokhovets receives $28,776 per month.
