Director of Izmail utility released from prison

In Izmail, a court released the former director of a municipal enterprise from prison. His actions caused environmental damage worth more than UAH 23 million.

This is evidenced by the verdict of the Izmail City District Court of Odesa Oblast.

The former director of Kommunalnyk in Izmail, Odesa Oblast, was sentenced for the illegal acceptance and disposal of liquid hazardous waste at a solid waste landfill. According to the investigation, he deliberately violated environmental safety rules, knowing that the landfill did not have permits for liquid waste treatment and a license for hazardous waste management, and disregarded the norms of the State Building Code and the laws of Ukraine on environmental protection.

The director of the ME allowed the company KIA-Marine Agency Service LLC to bring to the landfill more than 1,600 cubic meters of liquid waste with a high concentration of oil products generated during the washing of holds and removal of oil residues from ships in the port of Izmail. The waste was dumped on land plots with a total area of over 1.35 hectares, which led to a significant excess of the maximum permissible concentration of pollutants in the soil, created a danger to the environment and caused material damage in excess of UAH 23 million.

The director's actions were classified under Article 236 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - violation of environmental safety rules that caused grave consequences. He was notified of the suspicion in early August. During the trial, he fully admitted his guilt, sincerely repented and actively contributed to solving the crime.

The prosecutor of the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor's Office and the accused also entered into a plea agreement. The court found him guilty and sentenced him to 5 years in prison with a three-year disqualification to hold positions related to waste management. Pursuant to Article 75 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, he was released from serving the main sentence with probation for one year, taking into account his sincere remorse, confession of guilt and assistance in solving the crime.

In addition, the court canceled the seizure of the accused's property, including a share in a residential building, a land plot, several cars and 56.13% of the authorized capital of the company, which was previously imposed by the investigating judge.

According to the investigation, the deputy of the Safianivka village council, together with four other people, set up a company for the agency servicing of ships. In reality, the company was used for illicit enrichment: instead of proper disposal, toxic substances were illegally dumped at a solid waste landfill in Izmail district.

Анна Бальчінос