The State Bureau of Investigation detained at the border the organizer of the fraud schemes for the expropriation of land of the critical infrastructure - Kyiv Hydroelectric Station
Yesterday, January 18, the employees of the State Bureau of Investigation together with the Department of Strategic Investigations of the National Police detained a businessman who was the organizer of the scheme of illegal acquisition of lands on which are located the hydro-technical structures of a critical infrastructure - Kyiv Hydroelectric Station, during his attempt to leave the country.
The detention took place based on Article 208 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Three more members of the criminal organization, including the organizer's brother, were also detained in different regions of Ukraine.
It should be reminded that on 29th November, 2023, the employees of the State Bureau of Investigation together with the Department of Strategic Investigations of the National Police of Ukraine exposed and detained the members of a criminal organization who illegally took over 7 hectares of land, on which the hydro-technical facilities of the critical infrastructure - Kyiv Hydroelectric Station is located.
The criminal organization included almost two dozen of people involved. Among them are well-known investors in the field of luxury housing construction, their assistants, lawyers, architects, land surveyors, other qualified specialists and representatives of state bodies.
They acted in the interests of several developers. By taking advantage of the gaps in the legal status of the plots and by using corrupt connections in the state bodies, the organizers, registered them as agricultural land, which allowed them to allocate those plots to citizens of Ukraine.
Other participants searched through social networks for "figureheads" who, for financial remuneration, agreed to sign documents regarding the allocation of land to them as private property. Most of them were students of the Kyiv’s educational institutions, who were misled and agreed to the offer because of their difficult financial situation.
Subsequently, the executors signed a number of documents on behalf of "figureheads" to register the ownership of land plots. Then they "resold" the land to representatives of elite real estate developers known in the Kyiv region, who ordered and financed this illegal scheme.
According to this scheme, during 2020-2021, the organizers and members of the criminal organization seized the state-owned lands, which are classified as water fund lands and are located on hydroelectric structures of the strategic Kyiv Hydroelectric Station.
The implementation of the criminal scheme was facilitated by the actions of individual officials of the State Geographic Cadaster, who exceeded their official powers during decision-making process regarding the allocation of the land plots.
The actions of members of a criminal organization and other persons are qualified under Articles 255 (Creation, management of a criminal community or criminal organization, as well as participation in it), Article 233 (Illegal privatization of state and communal property), Article 209 (Legalization (laundering) of property obtained through criminal means) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
In November 2023, 8 suspicions were reported under these Articles.
Up to 12 years of imprisonment and the seizure of property could be the consequence for members of the criminal organization.
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.
The Procedural guidance is provided by the Office of the Prosecutor General.
