The head of the Chernivtsi Village Council was suspended from office over a land scheme

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

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations.

According to the investigation, in late 2021, the head of the “Neptun” agricultural enterprise appealed to the then-Andriyevo-Ivanivka Village Council (now Chernivtsi) with a request to approve documentation regarding the division of a land plot covering more than 40 hectares and to transfer the newly formed plots into the private ownership of the farm’s members. However, on December 16, 2021, the council members refused to approve this matter.

Despite this, Session Resolution No. 658 was later issued, according to which the deputies allegedly approved the division of the land and the transfer of seven land plots to individual citizens free of charge. Investigators believe that the document contained false information and was used for state registration of property rights.

In August 2023, based on this document, seven agricultural land plots were registered in the names of individuals. The total area of the transferred land exceeded 40 hectares, and its value, according to law enforcement estimates, is over 1.87 million hryvnias.

Village head Oleksandr Hvozdik was notified that he is suspected of abuse of office and official forgery. According to investigators, he signed the document that served as the basis for transferring the land out of communal ownership.

Prosecutors requested that the official be suspended from office due to the risk that he might influence witnesses, conceal documents, and obstruct the investigation. The defense objected, noting that the key witnesses had already been questioned and that the suspect had no intention of interfering with the investigation.

The court agreed that the official’s continued tenure could harm the investigation and suspended him from his duties until August 14, 2026. Earlier, the courthad remanded Hvozdik into custodywith the possibility of bail. The pretrial investigation is ongoing.

Also in the Odesa region, Irina Milyutina, head of the legal department of the Tairovka Village Council, is suspected of officialnegligence for the illegal transfer of municipal land worth over 46 million hryvnias to a developer. According to the investigation, the plot was illegally allocated for residential development without a land auction.

Анна Бальчінос