Illegal privatization in the Solomianskyi district: KCSA official suspected of negligence amounting to millions of hryvnias

Illegal privatization in the Solomianskyi district: KCSA official suspected of negligence amounting to millions of hryvnias

Solomianskyi District Prosecutor’s Office of Kyiv has announced suspicion against the head of the Department of Communal Property of the capital for official negligence. This is another case among a series of suspicions regarding KCSA officials related to insufficient control over communal property. Due to the official’s inaction, the tenant illegally privatized premises on Post-Volynska Street in the Solomianskyi District, worth about 7.4 million hryvnias. The city, as a result of this scheme, lost almost 1.4 million hryvnias in rental payments.

More details about the circumstances of the criminal proceedings were provided by the Solomianskyi District Prosecutor’s Office. The premises have been on the balance sheet of ME "Kyivzhytlospecsexploitation" since 2011 and have been leased for a long time. According to the terms of the contract, the tenant had to carry out current repairs exclusively at its own expense - without the right to compensation or crediting such works as inseparable improvements to the object.

Using forged documents, the tenant privatized the premises, having no legal grounds to do so. This scheme became possible primarily because the Director of the Department failed to ensure proper oversight of the preservation and targeted use of communal real estate. It was precisely the official’s inaction that allowed the tenant to illegally seize the property belonging to the city community.

In addition, investigators found that the official did not verify the actual cost of the repairs carried out in the premises. This allowed the tenant to falsify documents and justify unlawful claims to the real estate with allegedly spent funds. Thus, two significant gaps in control - lack of oversight over the use of the property and verification of repair costs - were exploited to commit the crime.

The actions of the Director of the Department of Communal Property are qualified under Part 2 of Article 367 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - improper performance by an official of his duties that caused serious consequences. This qualification provides for stricter punishment than the basic one due to significant property losses for the city community from the official’s inaction. The city lost not only ownership rights to real estate worth about 7.4 million hryvnias but also over 1.4 million hryvnias in unpaid rental payments.

Pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the investigative department of the Solomianskyi Police Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in the city of Kyiv with operational support from the Main Department of the SBU in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast. Investigators are clarifying all details of the case and the circle of involved persons. According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, every person is presumed innocent until his guilt is proven in a legal manner and confirmed by a court verdict.