In the Odesa region, the head of an agricultural college is suspected of land fraud

In the Odesa region, documents from a college were seized in connection with a case involving the possible illegal use of 140 hectares of state-owned land. Investigators believe that an official at the vocational college transferred the land to an agricultural company for cultivation and planting without a contract.

The Podilsk City and District Court issued the corresponding ruling.

The land plot in question covers an area of more than 140 hectares. It is owned by the Kodym City Council and is under the permanent use of the Northern Center for Vocational Education, designated “for research and educational purposes.”

According to the investigation, the head of the Kodymska Territorially Separated Specialized Branch of the Northern Vocational College enlisted the agricultural firm “Kodym” to cultivate and sow this land without entering into contracts or drawing up the relevant documents. Law enforcement officials classified the actions under articles concerning the unauthorized occupation of a land plot and abuse of official position.

During an inspection, investigators found that the plot had been cultivated and planted with sunflowers. The ruling states that this could indicate its use by a business entity without proper documentation. At the same time, the plot was not listed as leased in the real estate rights registry.

In August, the proceedings regarding the unauthorized occupation of land were consolidated with another criminal case opened under Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—abuse of official position.

As part of the investigation, law enforcement officers conducted a search of buildings and structures in Kodym. They seized the logbook of waybills, the vehicle logbook, the fuel and lubricants inventory ledger, the inventory of equipment on the balance sheet of the Kodima Production and Processing Complex, as well as reports and accounting records.

The investigator asked the court to seize these documents as physical evidence. The judge granted the motion in part and prohibited their disposal or transfer. The investigation into the case is ongoing. 

Also in the Odesa region, a community leader is suspected of involvement in land fraud schemes. According to investigators, land plots worth nearly 2 million hryvnias were removed from the municipal property register based on a forged session resolution.

Анна Літман