Odesa City Council sues developer over land on Fontan

The Odesa City Council is trying to recover almost 285 thousand hryvnias from a private company for using municipal land without payment. It is a plot of land on Fontanska Road, for which the city council is asking to seize the developer's funds and property.

This is evidenced by the decision of the Economic Court of Odesa Oblast.

The Odesa City Council filed a lawsuit against Koble Development, demanding to recover almost UAH 285 thousand for the use of land without proper legal grounds. It is a plot of land at 58 Fontanska Road, which, according to the City Hall, the company has been using without payment for three years.

As stated in the case file, the company used a land plot of 0.0575 hectares. The land belongs to the territorial community of Odesa and is intended for the construction and maintenance of commercial buildings. At the same time, according to the city council, from July 2021 to June 2024, the rent for the use of this land plot was not paid to the budget.

The total amount of funds that, according to the plaintiff, the defendant unreasonably retained is more than UAH 284,701.

At the same time, Odesa City Council filed a lawsuit to secure the claim. The mayor's office is asking to seize the funds of Koble Development LLC - both in hryvnia and in foreign currency - in the company's bank accounts, as well as in accounts that may be opened later. If these funds are not enough, the city council insists on seizing the company's real estate within the amount of the claim.

The city council explained that such measures are necessary to protect the interests of the local community and to guarantee the actual execution of a possible court decision. They fear that without the seizure of assets, the defendant may make it difficult or impossible to recover funds in the future.

The court accepted the application for interim relief for consideration. The judge concluded that in order to fully clarify the circumstances of the case, it was necessary to hear the positions of the parties in an open court hearing. The parties were also informed of the possibility of participating in the hearing via video conference.

In addition, almost three dozen lawsuits are currently pending in Odesa courts challenging the beach lease agreements concluded earlier. These cases are aimed at returning the use of the coast to the legal framework and preventing illegal privatization of beaches.

Анна Бальчінос