The SBI unmasked a criminal group that had cut down forests for more than UAH 4 million dbr.gov.ua

The SBI unmasked a criminal group that had cut down forests for more than UAH 4 million

Anna Velyka

Dealers can get up to 7 years in prison

Employees of the State Bureau of Investigation completed pre-trial investigation and submitted to the court the case against an organized group of 9 people, which only for 5 months of illegal activity cut down about 1 thousand trees in Kirovohrad region. By their actions “black loggers” caused damage to the state for more than 4 million UAH.

About it reports the State bureau of investigations.

In March 2023, the forest master of one of the forestries of the region organized illegal cutting of trees under the guise of sanitary. In accomplices he attracted a senior forest master, a forester and 6 civilian participants who directly cut, removed and sold wood. They used forged invoices to simulate the legality of timber transportation to the customer.

dbr.gov.ua

The group members are accused of illegally cutting down trees in forests, which led to grave consequences, and of official forgery (part 2 of article 27, part 3 of article 27, part 3 of article 28, part 4 of article 246 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, part 2 of article 27, part 3 of article 27, part 3 of article 28, part 2 of article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The sanction of the article provides for punishment of up to 7 years in prison.

The other day, EcoPolitic reported that in Bukovina a scheme of illegal logging worth millions of hryvnia was exposed.

Related
A third of wood in Ukraine is harvested illegally – experts
A third of wood in Ukraine is harvested illegally – experts

Despite the increase in the number of open and investigated cases related to illegal cutting of trees, the number of serious sentences remains insignificant

Prosecutors returned 629 hectares of forest land to the community
Prosecutors returned 629 hectares of forest land to the community

Their value is almost UAH 270 million

Activists demand to prevent deforestation of one of the most valuable floodplain forests in Ukraine
Activists demand to prevent deforestation of one of the most valuable floodplain forests in Ukraine

They are located in Transcarpathia in the floodplain of the Borzhava River