The Specialized Environmental Prosecutor's Office of the Zhytomyr Regional Prosecutor's Office, in cooperation with the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Zhytomyr Region, reported suspicion against the director of one of the private companies under Part 3 of Article 240 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal extraction of minerals of local significance in large quantities by an official using their official position).

The investigation established that one of the private companies received a special permit from the State Service of Geology and Subsoil of Ukraine for the use of subsoil in the territory of the Karpylivske deposit in the Zhytomyr region. The purpose was to extract sand (suitable for road construction, plastering, and building solutions for finishing layers) within specific geographical coordinates. An Agreement on the terms of use of the provided subsoil was concluded between this company (represented by the director) and the State Geocadastre, which clearly defined the boundaries of the subsoil area for development.

However, from February 2020 to May 2024, despite the terms of the Agreement and in violation of the requirements of current legislation, the private enterprise illegally extracted 113.5 thousand cubic meters of sand from areas of the deposit beyond the permitted limits.

According to the conclusion of the conducted judicial engineering and environmental examination, the amount of damage caused to the environment is 2.513 billion hryvnias.

Searches were conducted at the location of the deposit, in office premises, at the residence of the director, owners, and accountants of the economic society.

The state prosecutor in the criminal proceedings has prepared a motion for the selection of a preventive measure for the head of the private company.

Note: according to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is considered innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in a lawful manner and established by a guilty verdict of the court.