- Corruption and misapplication in a field of environment protection.
- The victory of the Revolution of dignity did not lead to the solution of the corruption problem. Nowadays, most of executive positions in the central government and the environment protection departments are overwhelmed with the people that are disgraced with corruption scandals. The state budget is used in inefficient way; the tender procedures have signs of collusion and parceling. The EPL analyzes, investigates, uncovers all those facts with the mass media, and prepares accordant (respective) appeals to the law enforcement authorities.
- The EPL revealed the very first signs of the corruption reappearance in the environmental security system in late 2015, when:
- Ihor Yakovlev who was an opponent of the national park creation, had become the head of “Nizhnyodniprovskij” National Natural Park http://www.epl.org.ua/events/2148-t-v-o-prykhovuie-koruptsiini-skhemy-shchodo-pryznachennia-posad
In Ichnyanskom NPP 12 million USD were divided to build an eco-education center
http://epl.org.ua/events/2171-koruptsiinyi-tender-v-ichnianskomu-npp-abo-iak-ministerstvo-ekolohii-ta-pryrodnykh- resursiv-vidnovliuie-stari-skhemy
In Kremenets botanical garden millions were stolen for the construction of new office http://www.epl.org.ua/events/2172-yak-kradut-hroshi-na-tenderakh-v-ministerstvi-ekolohii-ta-pryrodnykh-resursiv -chastyna-2
The facts outlined by EPL were confirmed during inspections by law enforcement authorities
In April 2016 the newly appointed Minister of Environment Ostap Semerak appointed Victora Kantsuraka Staviskogo as his deputy. http://www.epl.org.ua/events/2513-liudy-yanukovycha-stavytskoho-povertaiutsia-v-minpryrody
After the publication of this information specialists from NABU started to look into Victors Kantsurakas case https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2016/04/27/7106900/, but unfortunately the case did not come to court and Victor Kantsurak is still among the leaders of the Ministry of ecology and natural resources of Ukraine
EPL monitors all appointments in the Ministry of Environment. In particular, in May 2016 to the position as a head of Department of Strategic Environmental Policy Ministry Lesya Karnaukh was appointed http://www.epl.org.ua/events/2598-za-ekolohichnu-stratehiiu-v-minpryrody-vidpovidaie-naiblyzhcha-soratnytsia- kantsuraka
In the summer of 2016 EPL found questionable contracts with the State Environmental Academy, which had all the hallmarks of “drained” and “laundered” funds. Unfortunately, the person involved in these agreements Svetlana Berzin was not only not punished but was chosen to head the Public Council under the Ministry of Environment https://life.pravda.com.ua/columns/2016/12/13/221448/
Also EPL found out about the misuse of funds of Regional Fund for Environmental Protection in the Poltava region http://www.epl.org.ua/events/2846-poltavska-oblrada-vidmyvaie-ekolohichni-koshty
EPL pays particular attention to the contests for the place of director of the Nature Reserve Fund, exposing the facts of distortion and “pushing” someone into the Ministry as «suitable» candidateshttps://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1127287224033314&set=a.102313259864054.7176.100002561413396&type=3&theater
Environmentalists of EPL are making a close contact with local activists and the media, providing advice and methodological assistance in detecting fraud in the field of environment. In particular to:
1) Cherkasy region
http://kropyva.ck.ua/content/ekologi-prosyat-vladu-cherkashchini-pripiniti-deriban
http://kropyva.ck.ua/content/na-cherkashchin-vigadali-v-chnii-dvigun-z-v-dmivannya-kosht-v-eksklyuziv
http://kropyva.ck.ua/content/cherkask-l-s-vniki-prikrivayut-mislivts-v-z-respubl-ki-panama
2) Kharkiv region
http://maidan.org.ua/2015/04/bankiry-brakonjery-abo-chomu-harkivska-oda-vystupaje-proty-natsionalnoho-pryrodnoho-parku/
http://socportal.info/2015/04/10/ekologi-vimagayut-lyustruvati-direktora-departamentu-ekologiyi-harkivs-koyi-oda.html
3) Ivano-Frankivsk region
http://pryroda.in.ua/zapzf/lisnyky-likviduyut-verhovynskyy-natsionalnyy-park-na-zamovlennya-avstriyskoyi-firmy/
4) Kherson region
http://old.vgoru.org/index.php/all–news/nature/item/10787-nizhnedneprovskij–otsrochka–smerti–podobna
Currently environmentalists of EPL monitor the procurement Ministry, subordinate enterprises and institutions, the regional department of ecology, monitoring the use of funds from the regional funds of environmental protection
