NABU detains appraiser involved in major corruption scheme in western Ukraine
A female property appraiser accused of helping officials in western Ukraine sell communal land for a fraction of its value—a deal prosecutors say cost the public nearly $2 million—has been extradited from Germany and handed over to Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU).
Prosecutors have not disclosed her identity. She is among seven defendants in a case they say highlights entrenched corruption in the Zakarpattia region near Ukraine’s western border. Investigators allege she conspired with a city mayor, a district council head and four others to falsify an expert valuation report in June 2024.
According to NABU, the scheme centered on a plot of more than three hectares of communal land. The appraiser allegedly undervalued the property in her report, enabling the officials to sell it for a fraction of its real worth. Authorities estimate the losses to the local community at about 81.7 million hryvnias ($1.98 million).
German authorities detained the woman in early 2024 after Ukraine filed an extradition request. She was formally transferred Monday at the Krakovets–Korczowa border crossing in the Lviv region, where NABU officers took her into custody.
Within 48 hours, she is to appear before a Ukrainian court to determine whether she remains in detention pending trial.
Prosecutors say the case is part of a broader investigation into abuse of office by local officials and underscores growing international cooperation in fighting cross-border corruption. If convicted, the defendants face lengthy prison terms for abuse of office and related offenses.
Pavel Raznokidis