The Security Service of Ukraine exposed and blocked a scheme of large-scale embezzlement of public forest resources in Zakarpattya region.

According to preliminary estimates, illegal deforestation has caused almost UAH 14,000,000 (USD 518, 519) state losses. Additionally, SBU officers uncovered the mechanism of appropriation of forest fund lands by regional employees.

The law enforcement has established that the officials of the state-owned enterprise “Khust Forest Research Institute” and Uzhanian National Nature Park were involved in large-scale logging in the forested areas. In the framework of the criminal proceedings, during site inspections with the experts-ecologists, SBU officers found facts of systematic illegal logging and damage to the environmental fund.

During searches at the suspects’ places of residence and in the offices of the State forestry agencies, physical and documentary evidences of the crime were seized as well.

Furthermore, SBU operatives blocked the illegal activities of employees of the state enterprise "Busturyan Forestry Management." The public company manager agreed on technical documentation for modifying the land boundaries in violation of the current law. This led to the removal of forest land with a total area of almost 6 hectares from state ownership.

Currently, land-technical and land-assessment examinations were conducted to confirm the offender’s illegal activity. As a result of the searches, the head of the enterprise was suspected of committing the crime under Art.364 Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Investigative actions are underway. Other persons allegedly involved in the fraud are being identified.

The exposing operation was carried out in accordance with the Decree of the President of Ukraine “On Some Measures for the Conservation of Forests and the Rational Use of Forest Resources” jointly with the Territorial Department of the State Bureau of Investigations in Lviv City under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor's Office of Zakarpattya region.