Village council official suspected in scheme with land worth 46 million in Odesa region

In Odesa region, the head of the legal department of the Tairova village council was suspected of negligence for illegally transferring municipal land worth more than UAH 46 million to a developer. According to the investigation, the land plot was illegally allocated for residential development without a land auction.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations.

Investigators believe that in January 2022, the official, having all the necessary information and documents on violations of the procedure, approved the transfer of more than 5 hectares of land in the village of Tairove to the OK Granit cooperative. The standard value of this land plot is over UAH 46.6 million.

According to the website of the Tairovo village council, the legal department is headed by Iryna Miliutina.

Law enforcement officials claim that the official was aware of the absence of a land auction and the formal nature of the participation of other companies in the tender. However, she failed to inform the deputies, the head of the community, and members of the specialized commission about possible violations, and approved the relevant draft decision.

The case file indicates that on January 18, 2022, the lawyer pointed out in writing the need to hold a land auction and have the issue considered by the relevant commission. However, the very next day, during a meeting of the deputy commission, she did not voice her reservations and supported the issue being brought to the session.

Thus, on January 20, the deputies of the Tairova village council voted to transfer the land to OK Granit. According to the investigation, they made the decision without having full information about possible violations of the procedure. After the vote, the document was signed by the village head.

The investigation is also checking the participation in the tender of SM Budstar LLC and Onbud Construction Company, which are considered formal participants. Law enforcement officers assume that their documents could have been falsified and the winner of the tender was determined in advance. According to the investigation, the officials sent the texts of the documents via WhatsApp even before the official submission of applications.

The prosecutor's office claims that due to the official's actions, the community lost more than UAH 4.6 million for the use of the land plot. The court partially granted the prosecutor's request and set bail for the official at almost UAH 50,000.

Also in Odesa, law enforcement officers are investigating the seizure of nature reserve land for the construction of a residential complex. According to the investigation, the developer unauthorizedly expanded the construction area and caused more than UAH 16 million in damages to the state.

Анна Бальчінос