The court sent the mayor of Mukachevo, Andrii Baloga, to custody for 60 days. He is suspected of manipulations with the land

The higher anti-corruption court sent Andrii Baloga, the mayor of Mukachevo, Zakarpattia region, to custody with an alternative of 30 million hryvnias as bail.

This is reported by the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutorʼs Office.

Anti-corruption authorities suspect Baloga and the head of the Mukachevo District Council, Mykhailo Lanyo, of selling land in the city center at an underpriced price. It is about the abuse of almost 75 million hryvnias during the sale of the territory of the "Avangard" stadium, located in the city center, to the Lanyo company.

"The request of the NABU detective, approved by the SAP prosecutor, is partially granted. Apply to the suspect Andrii Baloga a preventive measure in the form of detention for a period of 60 days, i.e. until August 26, 2024 inclusive," the judge announced the decision, "Slovo i Dilo" reports.

If bail is posted, Baloga will be released from the pretrial detention center under the following obligations: to arrive at every request, not to leave Mukachevo, to notify of a change in his place of residence and place of work, to refrain from communicating with witnesses, to hand over foreign passports and wear an electronic bracelet.

• NABU and SAP detained the mayor of Mukachevo, Andriy Baloga, and former Peopleʼs Deputy Mykhailo Lanyo on June 25. According to the investigation, the mayor of Mukachevo obtained a decision at the session of the city council to sell the plot to the private company Lanyo at an almost 9 times lower price. He referred to the assessment of the expert commission, the owner of which could receive a bribe. According to the scheme, land with a market value of 84.6 million hryvnias was sold for only 9.6 million hryvnias.