A lawyer and two of his associates have been brought to court for fraudulently acquiring real estate in central Odesa, resulting in losses to the local community of over 11 million hryvnias.
The charges include fraudulent acquisition of public property, document forgery, illegal land occupation, and unauthorized construction (part 3 of article 28, parts 3 and 4 of article 358, part 4 of article 190, part 3 of article 197-1, part 3 of article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The investigation revealed that a city council member, involved in the municipal property committee, devised a scheme for illegal enrichment through fraudulent registration of property rights to assets owned by local communities.
He engaged a lawyer and other trusted individuals to assist in his plan.
The accomplices searched for municipal properties in the city center, leased them through controlled organizations, and later purchased them in a non-competitive manner.
Afterward, they expanded the space of the acquired properties by including attics and basements, and based on falsified documents, registered ownership rights under fictitious names.
Some of the unlawfully acquired non-residential properties were converted into residential apartments and sold to unsuspecting buyers.
In this way, the organized group seized three properties in central Odesa and a land plot in the Peresyp district, causing over 11 million hryvnias in losses to the community.
The accused were apprehended in May, and pre-trial detention was ordered with the possibility of bail.
The prosecutor's office filed a civil lawsuit for damage recovery.
Materials concerning the organizing deputy were separated into a separate proceeding, and he was placed on an international wanted list.
The pre-trial investigation was conducted by detectives of the Odesa region police, with operational support from the SBU.
Note: According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a lawful manner by a court verdict.
