Kyiv HPP land of strategic importance misappropriated: criminal group detained
Kyiv • UNN
In Kyiv, law enforcement officers detained a group of 20 people, including officials and investors, for illegally seizing more than 5 hectares of strategic land worth about UAH 15 million. The suspects could face up to 12 years in prison.
In Kyiv, law enforcement officers exposed and detained the leaders and members of a criminal organization that illegally seized land plots where critical infrastructure hydraulic structures are located. This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigation, according to UNN.
Details
The criminal organization consisted of almost 20 people. Among them were well-known investors in the field of luxury housing construction, lawyers, architects, land surveyors, and representatives of government agencies who acted in the interests of developers.
The defendants used gaps in the legal status of land plots and, through corrupt connections in government agencies, registered them as agricultural land.
This allowed them to allocate these plots to Ukrainian citizens, who were searched for through social networks. Most of the "straw men" who signed documents for money to allocate land to them in private ownership were students of Kyiv universities.
Later, the executors, on their behalf, "resold" the land to the customers of the illegal scheme.
Thus, during 2020-2021, the perpetrators seized the lands of the Kyiv HPP. Their total area is more than 5 hectares, and the estimated value is about UAH 15 million.
So far, 8 suspicions have been announced and five people have been detained. The suspects face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
