The potential head of the Karpatsky National Park is suspected in corruption shutterstock

The potential head of the Karpatsky National Park is suspected in corruption

Katerina Belousova

The National Park has not had a permanent director since 2019

In the Ivano-Frankivsk region, Stepan Goshovskyi, a former eco-inspector who was fired for bribery, may be appointed as the new head of the Karpatsky National Nature Park.

He currently works at the Bolekhiv forest farm, where he is probably involved in the illegal purchase of firewood, arbitrary felling and intimidation of local activists, political expert Oleksiy Holobutsky reports on Facebook.

Holobutsky noted that Goshovsky's subordinates were also caught on bribes.

"According to my information, representatives of the Privat group are behind the situation with Karpatskyi, who are inciting the ministry to change the director of the national park. Most likely, the new director will help expand the Bukovel resort at the expense of protected areas," the expert wrote.

He also added that this is not the first attempt to appoint "his" head of the national park. However, the head of Ivano-Frankivsk OVA Svitlana Onyshchuk did not agree with the previous candidate from the ministry.

The National Park has not had a permanent director since 2019.

Earlier, EcoPolitic wrote, that personnel changes will take place in the Zakarpattian regional forestry and hunting management to eliminate forest farms ineffective managers and participants in corruption schemes.

As EcoPolitic previously reported, the Deputy Minister of environmental protection and natural resources of Ukraine Serhiy Vlasenko, who is likely to head the unified state-owned enterprise Forests of Ukraine, may be involved in a lobbying scheme created by Leonid Yurusheva in the woodworking business.

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