The director of the Southern Forestry Office of the state enterprise Forests of Ukraine and his accomplices will be tried for stealing UAH 15 million from the state during his tenure at the Kamen-Kashyrsky Agroforestry in Volyn.
The chief accountant of the forestry and four private entrepreneurs were also involved in the corruption scheme, the State Bureau of Investigation reports.
The report said that SBI employees had completed the pre-trial investigation and submitted the indictment to the court.
The investigation found that the defendants involved four local entrepreneurs and transferred more than UAH 15 million to their accounts over several years. The money was received for allegedly rendering services in vehicle repair, trucking, repair of premises, garbage collection, shipment of timber products, etc. It was confirmed that the contracts were fictitious and no services were provided.
Also, the company avoided paying taxes for UAH 5.7 million.
"Currently, the former director heads the Southern forestry office of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine", which extends its activities to the Mykolaiv, Odesa and Kherson regions, and the former chief accountant holds a similar position in another enterprise," the press service said.
It is noted that the ex-director of the forest farm and the accountant are accused of seizing other people's property by abusing their official position, following a prior conspiracy by a group of persons, money laundering, forging documents. They face up to 12 years in prison. Four businessmen are accused of seizing other people's property, legalizing it and forging documents.
The message added that in order to compensate for the damages caused, the court imposed an arrest on the property of all the participants worth tens of millions of hryvnias. In particular, for land plots, residential buildings, shops, cars, special equipment.
Earlier, EcoPolitic wrote, that the director of the Vinnytsia branch of the Central Forestry Office of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" was detained while receiving part of the bribe worth $4,000, which he systematically demanded from employees. He was informed of the suspicion of extorting and receiving illegal benefits.
As EcoPolitic previously reported, in Transcarpathia, the director of a construction company and his guide were informed of suspicion for embezzlement of 3 million hryvnias EU grant funds for the construction of a greenhouse-nursery.
