Ukraine’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources has initiated an appeal of court decisions recognizing the legality of land plots comprising Mezhyhirya by Medinvesttrade private firm to national joint-stock company Nadra Ukrainy, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Ostap Semerak has said.
“There were several political rulings to nationalize this complex. However, legally, the facilities of Mezhyhirya prior to that time belonged to the companies affiliated with the Yanukovych family. The team at the ministry knows the legal way to return the complex to the people of Ukraine. It has launched legal action to achieve this,” the minister was quoted as saying in Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers on March 15.
According to the minister, at the request of the ministry and Nadra Ukrainy an appeal has been made against the decision of the Kyiv Economic Court of Appeals and of the decision of the Economic Court of Kyiv city involving case No. 6/655 on recognizing as void the agreement dated September 25, 2007.
Semerak said the legality of the deal for a long time has not been disputed and the term of limitations for appeal has expired. In 2007 Medinvesttrade sold Mezhyhirya to a little-known firm called Tantalit, which continues to be the owner to this day. The company figures prominent in many criminal investigations connected with disgraced ex-President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych. Medinvesttrade has been liquidated.
“We began the procedure to return to state ownership the properties of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources known as Mezhyhirya, which were taken away by questionable means via shady legal agreements. We call on the civil society to follow the proceedings and support the ministry in court,” Semerak said.
