The Hlybotsky District Court of Chernivtsi region has chosen a preventive measure in the form of detention for local developer Mykhailo Akostakiae, owner of Zakhbudkom LLC. He is suspected of large-scale fraud related to the sale of non-existent housing.
According to the investigation, since June 2021, the suspect has been selling apartments to investors in buildings that did not actually exist. To create the impression of real construction, potential buyers were shown sketches, design documentation, and even arranged "excursions" to fictitious objects.
At the same time, the developer did not have permits for the land, and the transactions with the buyers were concluded in the form of simple contracts without notarization or state registration of ownership. According to the investigation, due to such actions, the affected investors lost more than 13 million hryvnias.
To attract buyers, Akostakia used advertising in the media, social networks, and even created a sales department in Chernivtsi. During meetings with potential clients, he assured them of the legality of the construction, showing only advertising materials that had no legal basis.
The funds from investors were accepted in cash. The money passed through the company's official accounting records, which may indicate not only fraud but also tax evasion.
The developer's actions were qualified under Part 5 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - fraud committed on an especially large scale. The sanction of the article provides for up to 12 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property.
A pre-trial investigation is currently underway to establish the number of victims, sources of funding, and possible accomplices in the scheme.
