A suspect in a case involving the illegal extraction of sand has been served with a notice of suspicion in the Zhytomyr region
An investigation is underway in the Zhytomyr region into the illegal extraction of sand, which, according to the findings of a forensic engineering and environmental assessment, has caused damage to the state amounting to over 2.5 billion hryvnias.
According to the investigation, between 2020 and 2024, the director of the extraction company organised the illegal extraction of over 113,000 cubic metres of sand outside the boundaries of the special permit for subsoil use and the quarry’s mining concession.
Environmental prosecutors from the Zhytomyr Regional Prosecutor’s Office have already referred the indictment against the company’s director to the court.
During the subsequent investigation, law enforcement officers identified another participant in the scheme. This is the shadow owner of the company, who runs a firm specialising in the production and sale of concrete mixes.
Investigators believe that the suspect provided his own specialised equipment for the illegal extraction and effectively coordinated the actions of the director of the mining company.
He has been notified that he is suspected of the illegal extraction of minerals of national importance on an exceptionally large scale, committed as part of a premeditated conspiracy by a group of individuals.
At the request of the prosecutors, the court imposed a preventive measure on the suspect in the form of remand in custody, with the possibility of bail set at 10 million hryvnias.
In accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
