Kiev Deputy Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko has been accused of official abuse by Ukrainian law enforcement authorities. TASS writes about this issue with reference to the press service of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).
The official’s name was not specified.
According to a message on the NABU website, charges have been brought by NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office against the current deputy head of the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA). He is accused of official misconduct that led to the illegal transfer of part of a natural reserve fund of national importance (Nivki Park) for development purposes. As a result, the regional community suffered losses of approximately 6.4 million hryvnia ($175.9 thousand).
The investigation revealed that in November 2019, as director of the land resources department of the Kiev City State Administration, the suspect received a land management project involving the development of part of the park. As part of this project, a lease agreement was considered for a plot of land that is part of the natural reserve fund (the eastern part of the park) to a private company for the construction of a residential and office complex. In July 2019, the ministry sent the project for the revision of land management because the area belongs to the conservation fund. However, the suspect ignored this fact and submitted a draft decision with an explanatory note for consideration by deputies of the Kiev City Council.
According to information received from NABU, in order to ensure a guaranteed vote on the draft decision, the suspect stated in the explanatory note that the site does not belong to the reserve fund. However, this information was not true and was contradicted by data in the city land cadastral database belonging to the ministry.
Although the suspect’s name was not disclosed by NABU, Kyiv Deputy Mayor for Information Technology Petr Olenich responded to the accusation. He noted that the land resources department acts in accordance with current legislation and on the basis of the decision of the Kiev City Council. Olenich noted that before he took office in 2017-2018, all permits and urban planning documents were granted and the project was approved by the relevant authorities. He intends to prove his rightness and innocence through legal means.
Klitschko has repeatedly spoken about the bias of the central government and attempts to discredit the capital’s leadership. Last year, Ukrainian authorities blamed the mayor of Kiev for electricity and heating problems, a shortage of public heating points and the poor performance of shelters in the capital.
Formerly officially the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine introduced The term “racism”.
Source: Gazeta
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.