Sebastopol investigating bodies of the Russia’s Investigative Committee have launched two criminal investigations in frauds on a very large scale (part 4 of article 159 of the RF Penal Code).
According to investigators, between 2008 and 2010, officials of the Chersonesus Taurica national reserve having considered an appeal filed by a group of summer residents gave them permission to build in Rubezhnaya street. After that the Town Building and Architecture Office of Sebastopol City Administration also issued permissions to build in Rubezhnaya street. However, the decision to alienate lands of historic heritage could be made by only the supreme state body responsible for cultural matters – at the time the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture. The state body did not make such a decision, but the summer residents still got the lands to build there their dachas.
In addition, the investigators have also revealed that in December 2009, the Town Building and Architecture Office of Sebastopol City Administration issued a document granting lands near Nadezhda Ostrovskaya street for building to the Berkut-08 cooperative. The General Director of Chersonesus Taurica national reserve approved the decision under condition that archeological exploration would be conducted near the said street, but this decision lay also in authority of the supreme state body.
However, as a result of illegal actions of a number of officials members of the Berkut-08 cooperative got the lands in their ownership, while the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture did not passed any decisions on changing the boundaries of Chersonesus Taurica as well as did not agreed to alienate lands of special value. The crime was discovered by the officials of Crimea and Sebastopol Office of the Federal Security Service of Russia.
It should be noted that the lands abstracted by frauds are part of Chersonesus Taurica national reserve, which is the home to the local monument of archeology – Necropolis in Pesochnaya Balka, I-IV century of special historical, cultural, natural and scientific value.
At present the investigators are identifying the officials involved in the frauds with the lands of the national reserve.
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