UAH 63 million grain scheme: former agriculture minister Solskyi among suspects – sources
One of the suspects in the case involving the fictitious sale of grain worth UAH 63 million is Mykola Solskyi, former Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food.
This is reported by Censor.NET, citing sources.
Background
Earlier, it was reported that law enforcement had uncovered a scheme involving the fictitious sale of grain worth UAH 63 million. Among the suspects is a former minister of agrarian development of Ukraine.
Solskyi`s case
It should be recalled that on April 23, 2024, the NABU notified Solskyi of suspicion of organizing a scheme to seize state-owned land plots covering about 2,500 hectares and worth UAH 291 million under the pretext of allocating land to ATO veterans.
According to the investigation, in 2017-2021, Solskyi, as the owner of a number of agricultural companies, acting in collusion with the head of the StateGeoCadastre of Ukraine and officials overseeing StateGeoCadastre bodies, decided to seize land used by two state-owned enterprises in Sumy Oblast.
The perpetrators first destroyed the documents on the basis of which the state-owned enterprises had the right of permanent use of the land. This served as the basis for the regional StateGeoCadastre to draw up a report stating that the state-owned enterprises had unlawfully occupied the plots.
Later, the land was transferred into private ownership with the help of controlled officials from the regional StateGeoCadastre. The plots were transferred to pre-selected individuals under the guise of exercising their right to free land, while a condition for receiving the land was signing a lease agreement with an agricultural holding even before obtaining ownership.
Solskyi does not admit guilt and stated that the events concern the period of 2017-2018, when he was a lawyer.
On April 25, 2024, the minister submitted his resignation.
Later, Solskyi was taken into custody with the alternative of bail set at UAH 75.7 million. The bail was later posted for him.
On May 9, 2024, the Verkhovna Rada dismissed him from the post of Minister of Agrarian Policy.
