The head of the Chernivtsi regional prosecutor's office reported suspicion against a deputy of the Velykokuchuriv village council, who, while heading the land relations department of the village council, organized the illegal transfer of forest fund lands into private ownership.

During the session regarding the alienation of 5 land plots, he did not inform the deputies that these were forest fund lands, which the village council does not manage, as they are under the use of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" and are not subject to privatization. Based on this misleading information, the village council made a decision that gave the "green light" to the illegal removal of forests from state ownership.

The state suffered damages of nearly 1.8 million UAH.

The suspect is charged with abuse of office, which caused severe consequences for the legally protected state interests (part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). At the request of the prosecutor's office, a preventive measure has been chosen for him, and he has been suspended from his position.

The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by investigators of the Main Investigation Department of the National Police in Chernivtsi region under the procedural guidance of prosecutors from the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor's Office of the Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor's Office. Operational support is provided by the Chernivtsi Department of the Department of Internal Security of the National Police with the assistance of the Department of Internal Security of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine".

Note: according to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in a lawful manner and established by a court verdict.