The prosecutor’s office went to court over the agreement between the botanical garden and the developer: 130 hectares of land in Kyiv are under threat

The Kyiv Commercial Court has begun consideration of the prosecutor’s office’s lawsuit regarding an attempt to invalidate a contract between the National Botanical Garden and a developer that threatens state property.

This was made known through information from the press service of the State Audit Service.

The specialized environmental prosecutor’s office appealed to the court with a demand to cancel the agreement concluded with a private company several years ago, which carries the risks of illegal alienation of about 130 hectares of the nature reserve fund.

The contract that caused concern was signed in 2018. Under it, the private company undertook to reconstruct facilities on the territory of the botanical garden. At the same time, part of the renovated areas could be transferred to the developer’s ownership, which poses a risk of loss to the state.

The prosecutor’s office’s conclusions confirm the position of the State Audit Service, which previously noted the dangerous terms of this contract, which contradict current legislation and may harm state interests.

According to the audit results, the botanical garden received more than 2.4 million hryvnias from a private company. The prosecutor’s office believes that these funds should be returned to the state budget and that the contract should be recognized as illegal.

The management of the botanical garden attempted to appeal the conclusions of the State Audit Service, arguing that the information regarding the risks was inaccurate. However, the judicial authorities confirmed the legality of the auditors’ actions, noting only some inaccuracies in the timing. In the meantime, the auditors continue to appeal this decision.

Earlier, on January 11, 2025, a representative of the prosecutor’s office appealed to the management of the botanical garden and the National Academy of Sciences, requesting that they urgently terminate the investment contract concluded in 2018.