It was established that the perpetrators illegally took possession of five objects of immovable property worth more than 5.5 million hryvnias. In addition, they are involved in the fraudulent acquisition of another 12 premises.
Members of the organized criminal group were exposed by operatives of the Criminal Investigation Department of the National Police of Ukraine together with operatives of the Criminal Investigation Department and police investigators of the Lviv Oblast, under the procedural guidance of the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
The criminal group included three people: the organizer – a 40-year-old resident of one of the villages of the Lviv district, and the accomplices – residents of Lviv and the region, aged 33 and 47.
As the law enforcement officers established, the perpetrators searched apartments and other real estate objects in Lviv that were owned by both citizens and communal property of the city, produced forged legal documents for these real estate objects, seals and stamps of enterprises, institutions and organizations , and also forged relevant certificates. Later, using these forged documents, they obtained certificates of ownership of real estate objects, changed the locks on the entrance doors of the premises and sold them.
In this way, members of an organized criminal group illegally took possession of five real estate objects worth more than 5.5 million hryvnias. In addition, their involvement in the fraudulent acquisition of twelve more premises was established.
During the authorized searches in the residences of the perpetrators, law enforcement officers discovered and seized significant sums of money, drafts, copies of contracts and various documents, receipts and other material evidence that confirm their involvement in criminal offenses.
The investigators informed the organizer and members of the criminal group about the suspicion of committing criminal offenses provided for:
– Part 4 of Article 190 (Fraud) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine,
– part 3 of article 28 – part 3, part 4 of article 358 (Forgery of documents, seals, stamps and forms, sale or use of forged documents, seals, stamps committed by an organized group) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine,
– part 3, part 4 of article 358 (Forgery of documents, seals, stamps and forms, sale or use of forged documents, seals, stamps) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine
– Part 2 of Art. 28 – Part 4 of Article 358 (Forgery of documents, seals, stamps and forms, sale or use of forged documents, seals, stamps, committed by a group of persons with prior collusion) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The maximum punishment provided by the sanctions of the articles is imprisonment for a term of up to twelve years with confiscation of property.
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing. Law enforcement officers are taking measures to return real estate objects to their rightful owners.