The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has granted a motion filed by the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), extending the procedural duties imposed on Oleh Levchenko. Levchenko is the former Acting First Deputy Head of the State Research and Design Institute of Land Management and the former Acting Head of the StateGeoCadastre’s Kyiv Regional Branch. Under the ruling of the investigating judge, the key suspect in the high-profile land fraud investigation will remain under court-ordered obligations until November 1, 2026.
Law enforcement agencies accuse Levchenko of organizing a large-scale scheme to illegally appropriate more than 1,200 hectares of valuable land in the Kyiv region. Because the term of his previous court-mandated restrictions expired on August 4, the prosecutor requested a two-month extension to ensure proper procedural conduct and mitigate potential risks of flight or interference with the ongoing legal proceedings.
«Grant the motion of the SAPO prosecutor. Reimpose duties on the accused in connection with the application of a preventive measure in the form of bail, for a period of two months, namely until November 1, 2026,» the official court order states.
The history of the preventive measures for the official began with his detention, accompanied by the option of posting an alternative bail of 3 million UAH. Following the full payment of the designated amount, Oleh Levchenko was released from the detention center, though the court imposed a series of strict obligations that continue to be extended throughout the judicial process:
Appear upon any summons: Attend all hearings and appointments with detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), SAPO prosecutors, or the panel of HACC judges at any stage of the proceedings.
Movement control: Promptly notify pre-trial investigative bodies and the court of any change in his place of residence or official place of employment.
Prohibition of contact: Strictly refrain from any direct or indirect communication with other suspects, defendants, witnesses, or experts involved in this criminal case.
Travel restrictions: Surrender all passports for overseas travel and any other official documents granting the right to leave Ukraine to the appropriate state authorities for temporary custody.
According to the joint investigation by NABU and SAPO, Oleh Levchenko organized and coordinated a corruption scheme aimed at withdrawing particularly valuable state-owned agricultural and recreational lands in the suburbs of Kyiv from public ownership.
The scheme involved creating false legal grounds to allocate land plots to straw individuals under the guise of personal farming or gardening. Subsequently, these plots were centrally purchased at nominal prices and transferred to affiliated entities and private developers for the construction of cottage communities and residential complexes.
Law enforcement officials and real estate experts estimate the damage caused to state interests by the alienation of over 1,200 hectares to exceed 1.8 billion UAH.
This case represents one of the largest ongoing trials in the High Anti-Corruption Court in terms of the scale of official involvement. Fraud of this magnitude required coordination across multiple tiers of government, ranging from local and regional StateGeoCadastre branches to state land management institutes that prepared falsified land registry documentation.
The pre-trial investigation has concluded, and the case materials are currently undergoing judicial review on the merits. If convicted, the former state official faces a long-term prison sentence, confiscation of assets, and a temporary ban from holding executive positions within state power structures.