Corruption: Ukrainian minister is said to have appropriated property

In Ukraine, a minister appropriated state-owned land worth millions following investigations by the national anti-corruption office. Together with other people involved, the ex-chairman of the Agricultural Committee acquired 1,250 pieces of land with an area of ​​almost 2,500 hectares, the office said. Several Ukrainian media reported that this was Agriculture Minister Mykola Solskyj.

According to the information, land owned by a state-owned company in the northern Ukrainian region of Sumy was transferred to new owners between 2017 and 2021. Solskyj’s agricultural holding company then received these for use. In addition to the minister, employees of the land registry office are also suspected of corruption. The attempt to acquire more than 3,200 hectares was prevented.

In a statement distributed by the Ministry of Agriculture on social networks, the minister rejected the allegations. At the same time, he admitted that he acted as a lawyer in a dispute between state-owned companies and physical persons over land in 2017-2018. Legal proceedings are still pending here. “From my side, I guarantee absolute transparency for the determination of the truth,” wrote the lawyer.

In 2019, Solskyj came to the Supreme Rada on the presidential party’s list in the early parliamentary elections initiated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyj. The lawyer headed the Agriculture Committee from 2019 until his appointment as Agriculture Minister in March 2022. For days there has been speculation in the Ukrainian media about the dismissal of several ministers, including Agriculture Minister Solskyj.