SBU detains Mukachevo mayor Andriy Baloha: what is known
26 June 2024 08:19
ВІДЕО
The SBU, together with the NABU and the SAPO, exposed the mayor and the head of the district council of a city in Zakarpattia region for involvement in corruption schemes. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the SBU press service.
It is noted that the officials abused their official position to sell a land plot in the city centre with an area of more than 3 hectares at a reduced price.
The SBU did not name the defendants in the case, but according to journalist Vitaliy Glagola, they are the mayor of Mukachevo, Andiy Baloha, and the head of the Mukachevo District Council, Mykhailo Lanyo, nicknamed Blyuk. The head of the land department of the Mukachevo City Council, Artur Samilyak, was also allegedly detained.
According to the SBU, the organiser of the scheme is the head of the district council, who is “an influential authority in the criminal environment of the region”. In the past, he was twice elected as an MP, including from the now-banned Party of Regions.
“According to the investigation, at a session of the city council, the mayor ensured the adoption of a decision to sell the land plot at a price that was almost 9 times lower. The buyer of the land plot was a private company whose actual controller is the head of the district council,”
– the SBU said in a statement,
The basis for the searches was an expert monetary valuation of the land plot with a reduced value. According to the case file, the owners of the appraiser company were bribed for the “understated” conclusion.
As a result of these transactions, the land with a market value of UAH 84.6 million was sold for UAH 9.6 million. In addition, according to the case file, the mayor personally granted the private company a 6-month payment by instalments.
According to Glagola, the detention is related to a corrupt scheme to sell the Avangard stadium in Mukachevo.
The amount of losses from the sale of the stadium and almost 3 hectares of land is approximately UAH 100 million.
In October 2023, the SBU and the NABU already conducted searches of the defendants in the criminal proceedings, but no officials were detained.
The officials, as well as the two owners of the appraiser company and the appraiser himself, are being served with notices of suspicion under the following articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine: Article 358 (“Forgery of documents, seals, stamps and forms, sale or use of forged documents, seals, stamps”); Article 364 (“Abuse of power or position”); Article 368-4 (“Bribery of a person providing public services”).
The mayor and chairman of the district council face 3 to 6 years in prison with disqualification to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to 3 years.
The Mukachevo City Council stated that the officials are confident in the legality of their actions and are ready to prove their case in court.
“As part of the criminal case on the purchase of the land plot of Universal-M LLC, the investigating authorities have taken regular procedural actions. From the very beginning of the investigation, the management and all structural units of the city council were open to cooperation with law enforcement agencies and provided every assistance to the investigation to ensure an objective clarification of all the circumstances of this case, in accordance with the letter of the law,”
– the city council said .
