In the Sumy region, the director of a forestry enterprise will stand trial for actions that caused the community to lose more than ₴9 million

In the Sumy region, the head of one of the region’s forestry enterprises will stand trial on charges of selling timber at below-market prices. According to the investigation, these actions resulted in the local community losing more than 9.1 million hryvnias.

The Sumy Regional Prosecutor’s Office has approved and filed an indictment against the official, who is suspected of abuse of office.

According to the investigation, the man was appointed director of the forestry enterprise in January 2021. In 2022, he began selling timber outside of licensed commodity exchanges at prices below market value, in violation of the relevant government resolution.

To create the appearance of compliance with the law, the official engaged a company—which did not have a license to organize timber sales—as an intermediary to conduct the auctions. According to investigators, the director was fully aware of the lack of the necessary permit but used this scheme to sell timber to predetermined business entities.

This involved the sale of various types of timber, including pine, alder, and birch.

The prosecutor’s office notes that as a result of selling the timber at significantly below-market prices during 2022–2023, the local community lost 9,198,000 UAH. To recover the resulting losses, the prosecutor’s office filed a civil lawsuit.

The defendant’s actions were classified under Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—abuse of official position resulting in serious consequences.

If found guilty, the man faces three to six years of imprisonment, as well as a ban on holding certain positions or engaging in certain activities for up to three years.

The pretrial investigation was completed by the Investigative Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Sumy Oblast in cooperation with the Security Service of Ukraine in Sumy Oblast. Procedural oversight was provided by the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor’s Office of the Sumy Oblast Prosecutor’s Office.

In accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of a crime until their guilt is proven in accordance with the law and established by a court conviction.

This was reported by the Sumy Regional Prosecutor’s Office.