Court seizes property of forestry official for extortion of employees in Odesa region

Property related to a possible corruption scheme in the forestry sector was seized in Odesa region. The case involves a forester of the Kodymske forestry and a former manager, who are suspected of extorting bribes from employees of the enterprise.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations.

According to the investigation, after his appointment in 2024, the official organized a system of regular extortion from foresters. Together with an accomplice, he allegedly demanded money for the opportunity to work in peace, threatening to fire them and create problems at work.

The case file states that the employees were forced not only to hand over money on a monthly basis, but also to perform other tasks, such as selling wood and raising funds "for acacia and acorns." After the refusal, some foresters began to find illegal logging, damaged stamps, and altered tree numbering on their plots. In particular, the employees were not issued the necessary permits for logging, without which they could not perform their duties.

According to the investigation, the facts of the money transfer were documented at the end of 2025 and throughout 2026. The amounts transferred to the defendants ranged from 6.5 thousand to 64 thousand hryvnias. The last episode, according to law enforcement, occurred on April 30, 2026, on the territory of the Kodyma forestry, after which the suspects were detained.

The forester of the branch and the former head of the representative office were notified of suspicion of taking a bribe. During the searches, the police seized $2,100 and a Redmi 8 cell phone. The court ordered the seizure of this property within the framework of criminal proceedings.

As Intent wrote, from November last year to April this year, more than 230 thousand hryvnias were transferred to the official through an intermediary. In addition to bribery, during the investigation, law enforcement officers uncovered facts of illegal deforestation.

The court has already imposed a pre-trial restraint on the two suspects - detention with the possibility of bail in the amount of UAH 4 million each.

Анна Бальчінос