UAH 104 million of illegal assets of corrupt official from SE “Forests of Ukraine” transferred to the state

UAH 104 million of illegal assets of corrupt official from SE “Forests of Ukraine” transferred to the state shutterstock

Anna Velyka

They found a lot of cash, several luxury cars and plots of land in his possession

The deputy of the Rivne Regional Council, who was also the deputy head of the Polesie Forest Office of the State Specialized Economic Enterprise (SSEE) "Forests of Ukraine," was sentenced to 5 years in prison for illegal enrichment and confiscated UAH 104 million seized from him during the investigation in favor of the state.

This is reported by the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).

In November 2023, bureau investigators found millions of dollars in undeclared wealth from a deputy who served as deputy head of the Polessky Forest Office of the Forest of Ukraine.

During searches in his home, at the workplace of the corrupt official and members of his family, they found and seized only in cash more than $4 million in different currencies.

In addition, law enforcement officers found:

  • three elite cars "AUDI Q8", "MERCEDES-BENZ GLE 350E", "BMW X5";
  • 4 plots of land in Rivne, registered to nominees controlled by the "elect", on which he built cottages;
  • jewels and expensive watches, in particular the elite brand Раtek Philippe;
  • gold coins, gold bars;
  • 2 pistols, a Kalashnikov assault rifle with 16 magazines for it with cartridges.

At the beginning of May of this year, the prosecutors of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office concluded a plea agreement with the suspect. On May 29, the High Anti-Corruption Court approved this agreement and imposed a sentence of 5 years of imprisonment with 3 years of probation. The court also determined the amount of funds subject to special confiscation:

  • $1,340,087;
  • €1,034,615;
  • UAH 1,561,800

At the rate of the National Bank, this amounts to 104 million 311 thousand 474 UAH.

As EcoPolitic reported in august, the SBI found out the ex-head of the State Environmental Inspection of the Carpathian District has unsubstantiated assets of over UAH 19.3 million.

Tags:
Related
Forestry corruption: 11 people have been arrested as part of the State Bureau of Investigation’s ‘Green Shield’ special operation
Forestry corruption: 11 people have been arrested as part of the State Bureau of Investigation’s ‘Green Shield’ special operation

The estimated amount of damage caused stands at 65.7 million hryvnias, although the investigations are still ongoing

Digest of environmental crimes: widespread corruption among forestry officials and environmental pollution
Digest of environmental crimes: widespread corruption among forestry officials and environmental pollution

Most of the crimes uncovered involve foresters implicated in illegal logging, the embezzlement of public funds and negligence, which is causing damage to the forests

The State Bureau of Investigation has launched a special operation, ‘Green Shield’, to tackle forestry corruption and illegal logging
The State Bureau of Investigation has launched a special operation, ‘Green Shield’, to tackle forestry corruption and illegal logging

The Bureau is identifying all those involved and intends to ensure that the millions in losses are recouped

Millions of litres of spring water are being illegally transported from the nature reserve to the resorts in Bukovel
Millions of litres of spring water are being illegally transported from the nature reserve to the resorts in Bukovel

Water was extracted on an industrial scale, but the environmental inspectorate cannot inspect the national park without permission from the Ministry of Economy and the Environment