Since the beginning of the year, according to the materials of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), 43 people, who sold the forest resources of Ukraine for hundreds of millions of hryvnias, have been convicted.
“The SBU systematically destroys large-scale schemes for the illegal sale of Ukraine’s forest resources. Since the beginning of the year, 43 organizers of illegal business have been convicted. Among them are officials of state-owned forestry enterprises,” the SBU press center said in a statement.
According to the press center, the illegal activities of the malefactors caused damage to the state in the amount of hundreds of millions of hryvnias.
In addition, according to the materials of the SBU, seven organized groups that were engaged in illegal logging and sale of wholesale lots of timber were neutralized.
During special operations in the Kirovohrad, Cherkasy and Rivne regions, the activities of an interregional criminal group were blocked. It included officials from the territorial division of the State Agency for Forest Resources and representatives of several commercial structures in the field of timber export.
It was established that the attackers illegally exported oversized cargoes of valuable species of trees and sawn timber abroad. Members of the group caused damage to the state for more than Hr 200 millions.
In Zhytomyr region, the scheme of clandestine logging and its illegal transportation to the EU countries has been eliminated. Among the organizers of the fraud are several heads of state forestry enterprises. Their activities led to budget losses of millions. Based on the materials of the SBU, 30 malefactors were informed about suspicion, 19 indictments were sent to the court.
In Chernihiv region, four officials of a state-owned enterprise were exposed on the illegal sale of timber worth over Hr 2.5 million. A suspicion was reported to the attackers.
According to the established facts of illegal activity, procedural actions are continued to bring to justice other persons involved in criminal schemes.
