АП ВАКС перегляне виправдання ексдиректора нацпарку
This has been reported by “Slovo i Dilo”.
The Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court will consider an appeal against the verdict acquitting Georgiy Popovetskyi, the former director of the Khotyn National Nature Park.
This decision was taken by the High Anti-Corruption Court on 20 March.
As noted, the High Anti-Corruption Court acquitted the former head of the National Park, Heorhiy Popovetskyi. In the court’s view, the former official’s actions were the result of provocation by law enforcement agencies.
A prosecutor from the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office has lodged an appeal against this verdict.
“To open appeal proceedings on the appeal lodged by the SAPO prosecutor against the judgment of the High Anti-Corruption Court of 12 February 2026. To set a deadline of 1 April 2026 inclusive for the defendant and his defence counsel to submit objections to the prosecutor’s appeal to the Administrative Office of the High Anti-Corruption Court,” the decision states.
As a reminder, the Specialised Environmental Prosecutor’s Office of Chernivtsi Oblast referred the case of Georgiy Popovetskyi, director of the Khotyn National Park, to the NABU and the SAPO.
According to the investigation, the businessman approached the director of the Khotyn National Park to arrange a long-term lease of land plots within the park for the development of a holiday resort. The official told him that he would sign the lease agreements for 65,000 dollars.
On 11 September 2024, Popovetskyi signed the first agreement granting long-term use of a plot of land for recreational activities for a period of 25 years.
On 9 October, the director of the Khotyn National Park signed two further similar agreements for the provision of two plots, each measuring 0.12 hectares. On the same day, he received $65,000, after which he was arrested.
As a reminder, on 22 March, the first stork of the season arrived at a nest in the Pyriatyn National Nature Park in Poltava Oblast. Its arrival was captured live on a stream being watched by over 200 viewers at the time, though the bird turned out not to be from the pair whose return observers are awaiting.
