An official from the forest farm was suspected of logging for UAH 39 million in Chernihiv region

An official from the forest farm was suspected of logging for UAH 39 million in Chernihiv region shutterstock
Katerina Belousova

They want to seize the property of the suspects

In Chernihiv region the director and chief forester of one of the forest farms was informed of the suspicion of illegal felling of trees worth 39 million hryvnias.

The trees were destroyed under the pretext of continuous sanitary felling, the press service of the Chernihiv Regional Prosecutor's Office reports.

The investigation established that since April 2020, the director organized the illegal felling of trees without an environmental impact assessment, based on a prior collusion with subordinate employees.

"At the moment, the issue of imposing an arrest on the property of the suspects is being resolved in order to further ensure compensation for the damage caused," the press service said.

The pre-trial investigation is carried out by investigators of the Territorial Department of the State Bureau of Investigation, located in Kyiv, operational support of criminal proceedings is provided by the Department of Strategic Investigations in the Chernihiv Region of the Department of Strategic Investigations of the National Police of Ukraine.

Earlier, EcoPolitic wrote, that 30 hectares of self-seeded, i.e. natural, forest were cut down in the Chernihiv region near the village of Danychi.

As EcoPolitic previously reported, the environmental prosecutor's office of the Zakarpattia region has informed two ex-employees of the Irshava forest farm about suspicion of official negligence, which caused serious consequences. In 2020-2021, they allowed illegal mass felling of trees, which caused losses of more than 50 million hryvnias.

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