You're reading: Court closes case on withdrawal of Odesa’s Pryvoz market from municipal ownership

Odesa – Prymorsky District Court of Odesa has closed a criminal case on the withdrawal of Pryvoz market from municipal ownership and its transfer to private ownership.

The press service of the prosecutor’s office of Odesa region told Interfax-Ukraine that at present the prosecutors are preparing an appeal against the court ruling.

As reported, in May this year the prosecutor’s office of Odesa region announced it was searching for three directors of Odesa-based Pryvoz market, whose actions led to the removal of the market from municipal ownership and its passing to private ownership. They were working to gain control of the market from 2006 until 2010.

In April 2012, the prosecutor’s office of Odesa region opened a criminal case under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code (embezzlement, taking another person’s property, committed on a large scale) for illegal transactions on the removal of the market from municipal ownership for a total of UAH 127 million.

These transactions were carried under in the guise of an unprofitable contract on share participation in the reconstruction of the Market Pryvoz trading complex. As a result, the object does not belong to the municipal community.