A Parking Lot Instead of a School: The NACP Exposes a Scheme by the Former Head of a Forestry Enterprise in Kherson Oblast

The plot of land designated for the construction of a school had been generating profit for years as a private parking lot. It was this very story that became a key aspect of the audit of the asset declaration filed by the former head of the Kherson Regional Forestry and Hunting Administration. 

The National Agency for Corruption Prevention has completed a full audit of the 2025 annual declaration submitted by Yuriy Khakhuda, the former head of the Kherson Regional Forestry and Hunting Administration, following his dismissal. 

Based on the audit results, the agency’s specialists identified false information amounting to over 18.1 million hryvnias. 

The most significant violations relate to real estate. According to the audit, the official was effectively using a land plot in the Darnytskyi district of Kyiv with an area of over 50,000 square meters, which is municipally owned. The land was transferred to the municipal enterprise “Zhitloinvestbud-UKB” for the construction of a residential complex, affordable housing, and a general education school with a swimming pool.

However, as noted by the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAZK), construction of the school never began. Instead, from January 2024 to April 2026, a paid parking lot with approximately 400 spaces operated on part of the site. The basis for its operation was a contract for the provision of services related to the improvement of the territory, although the necessary permits for setting up the parking lot were not obtained.

The audit found that the cost of a single parking space ranged from 700 to 1,200 hryvnias per month. According to the agency, Khakhuda organized the operation of the parking lot, arranged for its security, and received parking fees paid directly to his personal bank cards. In 2025 alone, the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAZK) recorded 119,920 hryvnias in income from this activity that was not reported in his tax return.

In addition, surveying results revealed that the official was using more than 23,000 square meters of the plot—approximately one-sixth of its total area. The value of this land is estimated at 14.7 million hryvnias; however, information regarding the right to use the land was not included in the declaration.

Separately, the NACP established that the former head of the forestry enterprise failed to declare his use of a 78.5-square-meter apartment in Kyiv valued at approximately 3.27 million hryvnias. It was in this very apartment that the court imposed a preventive measure on him in the form of round-the-clock house arrest.

The audit also revealed that the declaration lacked information regarding two land plots in the city of Nosivka, his status as the ultimate beneficial owner of “SaHa Ltd.” LLCand “Engi Limited,” LLC, his wife’s salary of 186,000 hryvnias, the income she received from the sale of a Chery Tiggo car, bank accounts at five financial institutions, as well as the couple’s foreign passports and information regarding the official’s classification as a public official holding a position of responsibility or special responsibility.

During the inspection, Khakhud refused to provide written explanations and denied that he had used the land plot as a parking lot. He claimed that he had merely carried out landscaping work on the property. However, the NACP rejected these explanations, citing eyewitness testimony, bank transactions, on-site inspection reports, and the results of a surveying expert assessment.

The investigation materials have now been forwarded to law enforcement agencies for a pre-trial investigation.

Also in April, a deputy of one of Kherson’s district councils found himself on trial for concealing assets. According to investigators, he failed to declare dozens of real estate properties worth millions of hryvnias in his asset declarations.

Анна Бальчінос