Prosecutors have referred an indictment to the court against the director of the Slavske subsidiary forestry enterprise "Halsillis," who, during 2019–2023, issued logging permits for illegal logging in the Stryi district. As a result, the state lost 18,985 trees and suffered damages exceeding UAH 103 million.
Information about this multimillion case was published on the website of the Office of the Prosecutor General. The pre-trial investigation was carried out by investigators of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).
Was supposed to protect, but decided to cut
Over four years, under the pretext of so-called “thinning cuttings,” which are not provided for by law, the official caused the destruction of forest across dozens of hectares, comparable to the area of several dozen football fields. Prosecutors state the forestry director was fully aware that current regulatory acts do not permit this type of logging.
Source: gp.gov.ua
According to the investigation, the official was supposed to ensure reforestation of lands overgrown with sparse woods. Instead, he began destroying trees in these areas.
Source: gp.gov.ua
Source: gp.gov.ua
Compensation and penalty
To compensate for damages, the prosecutor in the criminal proceedings filed two civil lawsuits on behalf of the state, represented by the Koziivska Village Council and the Slavska Town Council of Stryi District, Lviv Region. The lawsuits were filed against the director himself and the enterprise entrusted to him.
The official, who is also a sitting deputy of the Slavska Town Council, is accused of illegal logging that caused severe consequences (Part 4, Art. 246 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The article carries a sentence of up to seven years in prison.
Recently, EcoPolitic reported a similar case in which SBI employees uncovered unauthorized logging on the territory of the “Zubrovytsia” nature reserve by a former official from the Dolishno-Shepit Forest District of the Berehomet Forestry and Hunting Enterprise. He unlawfully issued logging permits within the territory of a nature reserve fund site.
We also reported on two other cases: courts in Lviv and Zhytomyr regions have ruled that the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” has already reimbursed more than UAH 1.6 million for land contamination and must also pay UAH 1.1 million to local communities for illegal logging.
