Mykola Solskyi, Ukraine’s Minister of Agriculture, is suspected of being involved in the illegal acquisition of state land worth millions of euros before joining the government.
The country’s anti-corruption agency, NABU, made the allegations on Tuesday without directly naming Solskyi.
The agency said “a current minister” was being treated as a suspect in an investigation into the illegal acquisition of state-owned land worth 291 million hryvnias (6.9 million euros) and on an attempted seizure of land worth an additional 190 million hryvnias (4.5 million euros). .
RBC-Ukraine news outlet cited law enforcement naming Solskyi as a suspect.
According to NABU, Solskyi led a group involved in the misappropriation of agricultural land in the northeastern Sumy region between 2017 and 2021 before joining the government cabinet.
Under the guise of a government agricultural land use program, this group allegedly destroyed documents asserting the rights of state-owned companies to this land, then transferred these rights to individuals associated with the group.
In a statement, Solskyi said he would cooperate with authorities and stressed that the activities under investigation predate his time in government and are linked to his years as a lawyer.
“I guarantee maximum openness to establish the truth, but this is not necessary: all data is accessible to law enforcement, and the evidence and arguments of the parties are examined by the courts,” he said. declared.
NABU said its intervention had prevented the “criminal group” from acquiring a further 3,300 hectares of land valued at almost €4.5 million.
Solskyi and his alleged accomplices were placed under official suspicion, the agency added.
The 44-year-old, owner of several agricultural businesses and one of Ukraine’s richest officials, is the highest-ranking minister in President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government to be named as a suspect in a criminal case. Last year, NABU accused one of its deputies of participating in an embezzlement scheme involving the purchase of humanitarian aid.
Solskyi was elected to Ukraine’s parliament in 2019 and appointed agriculture minister in March 2022, shortly after Russia invaded the country.
In recent weeks, Ukrainian media have reported that he has fallen out of favor with Zelensky and is considering his dismissal.
Politico
