Prosecutors demand demolition of unauthorised structures

The Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office has demanded the demolition of several real estate objects built without the necessary permits. At the centre of the dispute are two residential houses and a garage belonging to the company of the ex-head of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi district council. 

The court proceedings in this case continue to attract attention, as they concern a large plot of land in the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi district.

Client and contractors: who is behind the construction?

The case involves a dispute between Громадською організацією "Товариство мисливців та рибалок XXI століття" (Public Organisation "Hunting and Fishing Society of the 21st Century") and ТОВ "Мельниченко" (LLC "Melnychenko"), which signed a construction contract for a plot in the Udobnenska rural hromada. The prosecutor's office filed a lawsuit in the interests of the state, demanding that the act of transfer of real estate be declared invalid and that the defendants be ordered to demolish the unauthorised structures. Among other things, the court is considering a demand for the dismantling of two residential houses and a garage, which, according to the prosecutors, were built illegally.

Non-appearance and process delays

The court hearing in the case was postponed to 12 February due to the non-appearance of a representative of the Громадської організації "Товариство мисливців та рибалок XXI століття" (Public Organisation "Hunting and Fishing Society of the 21st Century"), which hindered the continuation of the proceedings. It is also known that the Нижнеднестровсьий національний природний парк (Lower Dniester National Nature Park) is acting as a third party in this process.

Construction and corruption: links to the ex-head of the district council

Notably, ТОВ "Мельниченко" (LLC "Melnychenko") is owned by Yelena Melnychenko, the wife of the former head of the district council. This information was confirmed by the ex-official himself in his 2022 declaration. Moreover, Melnychenko himself has also become a figure in another high-profile case related to corruption and the misappropriation of state property.

Misappropriation of state property: a boat and deception

The former head of the district council faced accusations of criminal activity related to the misappropriation of property of the Государственной экологической инспекции Південно-Західного округу (State Ecological Inspectorate of the South-Western District). According to the investigation, he deceived state structures by providing false information about the needs for protection against possible shelling. As a result, a TUNA 865 Cabin boat and a car trailer worth 2.7 million hryvnia were stolen. After receiving the property, Melnychenko transported the boat to a factory in Biliayivka, where he used it at his own discretion.

Criminal scheme: consequences for the ex-official

Shortly after this, the former head of the State Ecological Inspectorate was detained, suspected of negligence. It turned out that the boat stolen by Melnychenko had not been registered, which led to a loss of 600,000 hryvnia for the enterprise.