The exposada owners who organized the felling for 21 million UAH will be tried in Volyn shutterstock

The exposada owners who organized the felling for 21 million UAH will be tried in Volyn

Katerina Belousova

Officials issued logging tickets for the felling of 2,500 trees without the OVD procedure

Former officials of the Volyn Regional Department of Forestry and Hunting and the Lyuboml Forestry will be tried for organizing illegal logging for 21 million hryvnias.

They face imprisonment for up to 10 years, reports State Bureau of Investigation.

It is noted that felling was carried out during 2020-2021 in 7 forest plots on an area of ​​more than 10 hectares. They were organized by the head of the regional forestry department, the chief specialist of this department and the engineer of the Luboml Forestry.

"Officials, in violation of the law, issued logging tickets without an environmental impact assessment, which is mandatory for such logging. As a result, more than 2,500 trees of various species were illegally cut down," the press service said.

The message added that the law enforcement officers also filed civil lawsuits for compensation for the damages.

Earlier, Ecopolitic wrote, that in September, exhibitors of the Volyn Regional Department of Forestry and Hunting and the Lyuboml Forestry were informed of the suspicion of allowing illegal logging for more than 21 million hryvnias.

As EcoPolitic previously reported, detectives of the State Bureau of Investigation submitted to the court an indictment against the foreman of the Mogilev-Podilskyi forest farm, who illegally issued permits for felling of trees worth 53 million hryvnias.

Related
A billion-dollar feeding trough for a select few: Ukraine officially recognizes systemic corruption in the forestry sector and announces figures
A billion-dollar feeding trough for a select few: Ukraine officially recognizes systemic corruption in the forestry sector and announces figures

The government and the relevant ministry prefer to pretend that this problem does not exist

Are million-dollar awards really given out in the "Forests of Ukraine": how SE lawyers hide the truth from society
Are million-dollar awards really given out in the "Forests of Ukraine": how SE lawyers hide the truth from society

A state-owned enterprise refused to disclose data on the amount of bonuses paid to its employees under the guise of martial law and "commercial secrets"

SBI tackles the forest mafia: UAH 67 million worth of abuses exposed in a week
SBI tackles the forest mafia: UAH 67 million worth of abuses exposed in a week

One charge has already been sent to court