A group that collected monthly tribute from forestry offices was uncovered in the Kyiv region
The National Police have uncovered a group of individuals who, according to the investigation, demanded monthly payments from forestry departments in the Kyiv region. Among the suspects is the acting head of one of the departments of the State Environmental Inspection of Ukraine.
Operatives from the National Police’s Department of Internal Security, in collaboration with investigators from the Shevchenkivskyi Police Department in Kyiv, exposed a group of residents from the Zhytomyr region.
According to law enforcement officials, the organizer of the scheme was the acting head of one of the departments of the State Environmental Inspection of Ukraine.
Together with his father, who previously served as director of a forestry enterprise, he—according to the investigation—organized the collection of monthly payments from subordinate forest districts in the Kyiv region.
The forestries were allegedly required to pay $500 per month in exchange for being allowed to carry out their economic activities without interference.
Law enforcement officials claim that the perpetrators promised that, in exchange for payment, they would prevent inspections, the imposition of sanctions for detected violations, and the seizure of harvested timber.
To monitor the situation on the ground and organize the collection of funds, the group’s members, according to the National Police, enlisted the help of another relative—a forest ranger.
Law enforcement officials allege that he collected money from each forest tract and passed it on to the other participants in the scheme.
In this way, the group allegedly established a system of regularly collecting funds from forestry enterprises in exchange for promises not to interfere with their operations.
Currently, three members of the group have been notified of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—receipt of an unlawful benefit by a public official.
The pretrial investigation is ongoing. The charges brought represent the investigative authorities’ procedural position and do not imply that the individuals’ guilt has been proven pending a court decision.
This was reported by the National Police of Ukraine.
