Illegal alienation of lands worth over UAH 9 million: the official's case has been forwarded to the court

 An official from one of the village councils in the Uzhhorod district will stand trial for the illegal alienation of communally owned lands worth over UAH 9 million. Detectives of the Territorial Office of the ESBU in the Zakarpattia region have completed the pre-trial investigation and forwarded the indictment to the court.

According to the investigation, the head of one of the village council departments, acting in the interests of third parties, abused his official position. He ensured the illegal formation of three land plots with a total area of 1.285 hectares.

Archival decisions of the village council were utilized for this purpose. On their basis, the plots were formed in a location different from the one specified in the primary documentation. Following this, their geospatial location was modified, and they were registered under private ownership. As a result, the lands were illegally removed from communal property.

According to the conclusion of the land valuation expert evaluation, the territorial community suffered damages exceeding UAH 9.2 million.

To prevent further alienation of the lands, the court placed an arrest on the three land plots.

The materials regarding the official have been forwarded to court on charges of committing criminal offenses under Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (abuse of power or official position that caused grave consequences) and Part 1 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (official forgery).

The sanctions of the articles provide for up to 6 years of imprisonment with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities.

The prosecution was supervised by the prosecutors of the Zakarpattia Regional Prosecutor's Office.

According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime until their guilt is proven in accordance with the law and established by a court verdict of guilty.