130 hectares of risk: why the prosecutor’s office is sounding the alarm over the contract in Hryshko Botanical Garden
16 September 21:37
The Kyiv Commercial Court is considering a lawsuit filed by the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor ‘s Office against the National Botanical Garden and a private company, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Prosecutors are demanding that the reconstruction contract be invalidated, which, in their opinion, poses a threat of illegal alienation of state property and unique lands of the reserve fund.
It is about almost 130 hectares of protected area – the Hryshko Botanical Garden is a monument of landscape art of national importance.
The essence of the agreement in 2018
In 2018, the botanical garden’s management entered into an agreement with a private company for the reconstruction of real estate.
Under its terms, upon completion of the work, most of the space was to become the property of the private company. This would have meant the loss of some state-owned land and buildings.
Although the reconstruction never started, the botanical garden received more than UAH 2.4 million from the partner in 2019-2022.
Prosecutors’ arguments
The Specialized Environmental Prosecutor’s Office states that
- the agreement was concluded in violation of current legislation;
- the terms and conditions are contrary to the public interest;
- objects of the nature reserve fund cannot be transferred to private ownership.
The prosecutors demand not only that the document be declared invalid, but also that all the money received be recovered in favor of the state.
Why the case matters
Hryshko Botanical Garden is one of the key environmental and scientific institutions in the country. Its territory is part of the nature reserve fund and has a special protection status.
The loss of even a part of the land would set a precedent for the privatization of unique ecosystems, which the law explicitly prohibits from being alienated.
Scandals around protected lands
Ukraine has already had many conflicts over nature reserve sites. Earlier, the prosecutor’s office challenged questionable land lease agreements in Holosiivskyi and Sofiivka parks.
Experts emphasize that the development or transfer of such territories to private hands is often accompanied by attempts to circumvent environmental legislation.
