Police send case on poaching by national park employees to court

Police have sent an indictment to court against two employees of the Lower Dniester National Nature Park who are charged with poaching.

According to the press service of the Main Directorate of the National Police of Ukraine in Odesa Oblast, last year, officers of the Criminal Investigation and Water Police of the Odesa District Police Department detained two employees of the Nistru National Nature Park, aged 42 and 30, on the Dniester River while they were unloading illegally caught fish from a net into a boat. The investigative team of the territorial police unit called to the scene seized the illegal fishing gear and the catch from the offenders.

In the course of the pre-trial investigation, law enforcement officers found that the men, whose work is related to wildlife protection and research activities in the lower reaches of the Dniester River, were illegally fishing for biological resources for further sale under the guise of performing their official duties.

During the authorized searches of the suspects' places of work and residence, the police seized a number of material evidence, including fish previously caught for sale, nets, bags, and official documents.

The entire catch, including silver carp, carp, pike perch, catfish, bream, bleak, silver crucian carp, was transferred to a specialized enterprise for storage during the investigation. According to the conclusion of the engineering and environmental expertise, the men caused more than UAH 1 million 100 thousand in losses to the state.

The offenders were removed from their positions. The court imposed on them a measure of restraint in the form of nightly house arrest. According to the investigator in the case, Senior Police Lieutenant Daria Stotska, given the sufficient evidence that law enforcement officers took during the pre-trial investigation, the defendants were charged under

Part 1 of Article 249 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - illegal fishing, which caused significant damage;

Article 364 (2) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - abuse of office, i.e. intentional use of official position by an official contrary to the interests of the service, if it caused serious consequences for the interests of the state;

Article 209(2) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - attempted disposal of property obtained by criminal means by prior conspiracy by a group of persons.

The maximum penalty for these crimes is imprisonment for up to eight years with disqualification to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years and confiscation of property.

Кирило Бойко