The Darnytskyi District Court of Kyiv found Mykola Tryukhan, a researcher at the Research Institute of Geodesy and Cartography, Deputy President of the Public Organization "Ukrainian Society of Geodesy and Cartography", guilty of fraud, but released him from punishment due to the expiration of the statute of limitations for criminal liability.
As the court found, in May 2003, Tryukhan, while serving as deputy director and chief editor of maps at the Research Institute of Geodesy and Cartography, together with an accomplice, promised several citizens assistance in the privatization of land plots in the Bortnychi massif in Kyiv. Using his official authority, he convinced the victims of the possibility of registering land management documentation and obtaining ownership of the land.
Under this pretext, Tryukhan received money "for performing measurements" and preparing documents that, according to the expert examination, did not meet the requirements for privatization. The four victims transferred a total of 15.5 thousand UAH to him, but the promised services were not performed, and the documents turned out to be unsuitable for submission to official institutions.
The court concluded that the accused acted with direct intent and a selfish motive, making false promises and concealing information about the impossibility of privatization. The evidence was the victims' testimonies, the protocols of face-to-face meetings, and the results of a forensic examination.
Despite being proven guilty, the court applied Article 49 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and released Tryukhan from punishment, since the five-year statute of limitations for crimes of medium gravity had expired.
At the same time, the court partially satisfied the civil claims of the victims, assessing moral damages at UAH 10,000 each. The seizure of the NISSAN Primera car and the restraining order, which had been in effect since 2005, were also canceled.
