The head of the Rivne Regional Prosecutor's Office reported suspicions against the former head of the branch of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine." He is accused of abusing his official position to obtain unlawful benefits for a private entrepreneur, which caused severe consequences for the state interests protected by law (part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

According to the investigation, from May to July 2023, the former official, abusing his official position, signed a number of illegal contracts. Under these contracts, he transferred nearly a thousand cubic meters of felled trees in logs directly from the sites to sawmills for processing. 

Subsequently, these logs were sawn into boards, which were sold at a price lower than the cost of the raw materials, causing losses to the state.

This is a violation of the legislation, as the branches of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" are only allowed to sell unprocessed timber exclusively at organized commodity markets to ensure transparency in sales.

To recover the damages caused, the accounts of the suspect have been seized. The issue of choosing a preventive measure is being resolved.

Under the procedural guidance of specialized environmental prosecutors of the Rivne Regional Prosecutor's Office, the pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the Territorial Administration of the State Bureau of Investigation, with operational support from the Security Service of Ukraine. 

Note: According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed 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.