A farmer is suspected of stealing someone else's crop in Voznesensk

In the Mykolaiv region, law enforcement officials are investigating a case involving debts totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars, land plots, agricultural equipment, and crops. Investigators are examining the financial transactions of those involved and the circumstances surrounding the transfer of funds and property.

The Center for Public Investigations has examined the details of the case.

According to a ruling by the Voznesensk City and District Court, the company’s owner had been working with a farmer since 2020, purchasing crops from him. Over time, a relationship of trust developed between them, and the farmer began receiving substantial sums on credit—either with interest or with an agreement to repay the funds with grain.

The money was transferred at the office in Voznesensk, and some of the loans were documented with receipts. Between 2021 and 2023, the farmer partially repaid the debts with cash, grain, and proceeds from the sale of a threshing machine in Trikraty for $30,000, but continued to take out new loans.

Subsequently, according to the case file, he refused to repay the funds, citing a poor harvest and a lack of money. Currently, the claimed amount of outstanding debt is $140,000.

In 2024, the parties also agreed on the purchase of property rights to approximately 980 hectares of land, the facility in Trikraty, and agricultural equipment. The total value of the agreement was $665,000.

The company owner claimed that he had transferred more than 27.4 million hryvnias to the farmer and his affiliated companies. At the same time, according to him, some of the agreements were not properly formalized.

Investigators are also examining the circumstances surrounding the transfer of land, equipment, and the facility, as well as the possible misappropriation of the harvest grown at the company’s expense.

Additionally, the case involving the embezzlement of thousands of metric tons of grain from the Khlebna Base, which has been ongoing since 2021, continued in court. According to investigators, a scheme to embezzle grain worth over 12 million hryvnias may have been operating at the enterprise in the Mykolaiv region.

Анна Літман