Scheme with “elite land”: case against former head of the VRU Secretariat brought to court
12 September 19:04
The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) has sent an indictment to court against the former head of the Verkhovna Rada’s Office of Affairs based on NABU materials. He is suspected of attempting to illegally seize a land plot and property of the State Enterprise Derzhstroykombinat, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
According to the investigation, in March 2023, he was exposed along with other participants in the scheme. Since the official is hiding from the investigation, the investigation was conducted in absentia.
How the scheme worked
- 2020 – according to the NABU, one of the MPs colluded with the management of the State Construction Company and the Verkhovna Rada Secretariat.
- They planned to auction off a land plot with the production facilities of the state-owned enterprise without the consent of the parliament.
- The auction was won by a company associated with the MP.
- In the contract, the equity participation of the state-owned enterprise was valued at UAH 300 million, while the real value of the land and property exceeded UAH 525 million.
- The further goal is to vacate the plot and build a residential complex on it.
Reaction to the investigation
When the investigation became known, the scheme participants tried to avoid responsibility. They planned to appeal to the local prosecutor’s office and conduct “examinations” that would confirm the absence of a crime.
The case already has
- an indictment against a current MP and a former official of the State Construction Plant (November 2024),
- an agreement with the investigation by one of the suspects who pleaded guilty.
Legal qualification
The actions of the former head of the VRU Secretariat are qualified under:
- ч. 3 of Art. 15 (attempted crime),
- ч. 2 of Art. 28 (committing a crime by a group of persons),
- ч. 2 of Art. 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (abuse of power or position).
“Derzhbudkombinat is a state-owned enterprise that supports the activities of the Parliament, including land plots in Kyiv. Such corruption schemes with state-owned land were one of the most common practices of abuse in the 2000s and 2010s, when dozens of hectares of Kyiv land passed into private hands through investment agreements and auctions.
According to the Constitution, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court and convicted.
