A scheme involving approximately 307 hectares of land belonging to a lyceum was uncovered in the Kherson region

In the Kherson region, the director of the Arkhangelsk Professional Agricultural Lyceum is suspected of transferring state-owned land to a private company without official contracts. 

The Center for Public Investigations looked into the details of the case.

The lyceum had about 307.2 hectares of land in permanent use, of which approximately 279 hectares were arable. According to the investigation, over the past few years, these plots were actually cultivated by the private enterprise “Arkhangelskoye,” which used a total of 718.2 hectares of land and grew grains, legumes, and oilseeds.

At the same time, according to the court ruling, no lease, sublease, or joint cultivation agreements were signed between the lyceum and the company. Payments for the use of state-owned land were also not remitted to the budget.

Law enforcement officials believe that the lyceum’s director, having a friendly and trusting relationship with the company’s head, transferred the land for commercial agricultural production. According to investigators, he also instructed the institution’s secretary to retroactively draw up a cooperation agreement.

In early September, the director’s premises were searched. Investigators seized documents related to the land and financial transactions, the cooperation agreement, technical documentation, extracts from registries, and a laptop that may have contained materials related to the preparation of the document.

In addition, the Mykolaiv Prosecutor’s Office demanded that the city council’s decision to lease a 7,643-square-meter plot of land for the construction of a gas station be revoked. The tenant was ordered to return the land and demolish the unfinished structure. 

Анна Літман