Turned forest into a source of profit: Kravchenko announced over UAH 720 million in damages and 9 new suspicions for officials of the state enterprise "Forests of Ukraine"
Kyiv • UNN
Damages to the state amounting to UAH 924.8 million have been established in the pre-trial investigation into the activities of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" and its branches. 44 suspicions have been served.
In Prykarpattia, nine more officials of the "Forests of Ukraine" enterprise have been notified of suspicion of crimes in the field of forestry, which caused damages to the state amounting to UAH 721 million. In total, 44 suspicions have already been served in the pre-trial investigation of the state enterprise's activities. This was reported on Wednesday by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, according to UNN.
"Forests of Ukraine" is not someone's private cash register, but a national treasure. For years, the system of the state enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" has been entangled in corruption schemes. Illegal logging, sale of timber at understated prices, official negligence, and abuse turned the forest into a source of profit for individual officials. The prosecutor's office consistently exposes these schemes.
According to the Prosecutor General, in various regions, heads of branches, foresters, and officials who covered up crimes and allowed nature to be destroyed came under suspicion.
"Today we are talking about the Ivano-Frankivsk region: damages to the state of UAH 721 million. Suspicions to 9 officials of the enterprise," Kravchenko said.
According to him, among the suspects are:
• State Enterprise "Deliatynske LH": chief forester, who illegally issued logging permits.
• "Kutske LH" DSGP "Forests of Ukraine": two former heads, head of the forestry department and an engineer, who in 2022 allowed illegal logging within the nature reserve fund. Forests on an area of 195 hectares of the "Hutsulshchyna" National Nature Park were destroyed.
• Bohorodchany Special Agroforestry — director, who entered into direct contracts for the purchase and sale of timber products at understated prices.
• Kolomyia Special Agroforestry — director, who used the same corrupt schemes for selling timber.
• Kobaky Forestry of "Kosivskyi RP (Raiagrolis)" — forest master, whose official negligence led to illegal logging on the territory of the nature reserve fund.
• Tysiv Forestry of KP "Dolynskyi Special Agroforestry" — forest master, due to whose inaction trees were illegally cut down.
In total, as the Prosecutor General indicated, in the pre-trial investigation of the activities of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" and its branches, damages to the state amounting to UAH 924.8 million were established, and 44 suspicions were served.
This is further proof: systemic corruption destroys our ecology. And we will react fundamentally