Case description
The NABU and the SAPO accused Yurii Kozak, former Head of the State Geocadastre in the Vinnytsia region, of forging documents, which resulted in the transfer of particularly valuable land plots to private ownership without the required procedure. The defendants are facing up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
According to the investigation, in 2016-2017, Yurii Kozak, together with Oleksandr Bortnovskyi, Director of SE Bokhonytske Research Farm, transferred 10 land plots that belonged to the category of especially valuable land into private ownership without the consent of the Cabinet of Ministers. This refers to 17 hectares of land worth more than UAH 11.5 million.
To pull off the scam, the defendants in the case used the legend of land plots being granted for personal agriculture by employees of the above-mentioned SE. However, the investigation found that no employee actually received anything.
Oleksandr Bortnovskyi and Yurii Kozak are charged under Article 191(5) and Article 366(1) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
