For more than ten years, the investigation has been ongoing, which revealed a large-scale land development in Ukraine, where almost 140 especially valuable land plots near Kyiv illegally ended up in the private ownership of officials of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine (NAAS), the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and of food (Ministry of Agricultural Policy). The case was brought up by detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP), and although the investigation has been ongoing for several years, new details of the case continue to shock.
How the scheme was formed
The basis of the criminal scheme is the repurposing and illegal distribution of land originally intended for scientific research. According to NABU data, NAAS officials terminated the right to permanent use of the "Chabany" research farm for 144 land plots in Gatny, near Kyiv. Of these plots, 138 had already been transferred to private ownership, six more were in the process of being re-registered at the time of the investigation.
These lands were transferred for permanent use to the experimental farm "Chabany" back in 2003, when the Kyiv-Svyatoshinska district state administration made a corresponding decision. According to the Land Code of that time, termination of the right of permanent use and change of purpose could be carried out only with the consent of the Verkhovna Rada. However, according to the version of the investigation, NAAS managed to make such decisions without the necessary procedural approvals.
The Process of Withdrawal of Lands from State Accounting
As part of the scheme, NAAS received an unsigned letter from the SBU, which stated the need to terminate the right to permanent use of these plots of land in order to transfer them to the Security Service. A further letter, already signed by the Deputy Head of the SBU, confirmed this request. Despite the fact that such decisions should be initiated by the Cabinet of Ministers, these letters were used as formal documents to justify the changes.
The director of the experimental farm "Chabany" and the director of the Institute of Agriculture of the National Academy of Sciences did not object to the allocation of land plots. After that, the materials were sent to the presidium of the National Academy of Sciences, which, having no information about the special value of the land, made a decision to expropriate 15.12 hectares of land. This act became the basis for further re-registration of land into private ownership.
Who Got the Plots?
According to the results of the investigation, the following became the new owners of the land:
- Officials of the National Academy of Sciences and their relatives: This includes the current president of the National Academy of Sciences, Yaroslav Gadzal, his family, as well as other high-ranking officials of the Academy, such as Oleksandr Ishchuk and Anatoly Zaryshnyak.
- Employees of the SBU: In particular, the leadership of the Main Department of Counterintelligence Protection of the SBU and their relatives.
- High-ranking officials of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy: In particular, persons related to the Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy.
- Local officials: Including representatives of the Chabaniv settlement council and other local officials.
According to NABU estimates, the state suffered more than 42 million hryvnias in damages. Despite numerous suspicions and investigations, five top officials of NAAS, who were key figures in the case, were excluded from the list of accused in January 2020. The decision to close the case against these persons was made due to insufficient evidence of their self-interest, although the Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova tried to reopen the proceedings.
The case is currently being heard by the High Anti-Corruption Court, and the coming months may determine the final verdict. The land plots in Gatny are under arrest, imposed back in November 2017. If the court finds the accused guilty, these lands can be confiscated.
What to Expect Next?
The question remains open: will justice be restored, and will all the perpetrators of this large-scale land development be punished? Transparency International Ukraine continues to monitor the case, because only a thorough and transparent investigation can be a guarantee of quality justice and restoration of trust in state institutions.
This case highlights the importance of fighting corruption and ensuring transparency in the management of public resources. Only time will tell if Ukraine will be able to withstand these tests and ensure justice for its citizens.
