In Dnipropetrovsk region, a local entrepreneur will be tried for illegally extracting sand instead of building a pond. The man caused damage to the Ukrainian environment amounting to UAH 290 million.
According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, the man did not have any permits for extraction, which did not prevent him from trading in raw materials.
The director of the enterprise was involved in illegal extraction during 2021-2023. He organized the excavation on his own land in the Dniprovskyi district, passing off the work as the "construction of a pond." Over the years of criminal activity, 13,000 cubic meters of sand were extracted from the subsoil.
Source: Office of the Prosecutor General.
He carried out this illegal activity, of course, for profit. Enterprises controlled by the criminal were responsible for selling the minerals stolen from the state. These companies specialised in selling construction materials.
What penalties does the offender face?
In Ukraine, mineral extraction is only possible with a special subsoil use permit. Therefore, all the “work” of the Dnipro entrepreneur was a violation of the law.
The indictment has already been submitted to the court. The man is charged under Part 1, Article 209 and Part 2, Article 240 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- illegal extraction of minerals on a large scale;
- legalization (laundering) of property obtained through criminal means.
“Illegal subsoil use results in millions or even billions in losses for the state and causes irreparable harm to nature. This case is yet another confirmation of the systematic work of the prosecutor’s office in the field of environmental protection,” the Office of the Prosecutor General emphasised.
In its weekly digest, EcoPolitic systematically covers crimes against nature. Among the most high-profile recent examples is the illegal extraction of mineral water, which also took place in the Dnipropetrovsk region. The damages to the state amounted to 2 billion UAH.
