Deep analysis of current events in the fields of science and public administration: mass searches are taking place at the DBR concerning the President of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Ukraine
In the early hours of June 13 in Kyiv, large-scale investigative measures, including searches, began at the premises of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Ukraine. These operations are conducted under the leadership of the State Bureau of Investigation and are targeted against the individual who holds the position of President of this prestigious state institution—Yaroslav Hadzal. Information about this was circulated by sources within law enforcement agencies, including a source from “Ukrainska Pravda.” More details are provided by one of the experts in the law enforcement field, who wished to remain unnamed: the investigative actions in this case are being carried out with suspicion of abuse of power and embezzlement of state property. The mechanism or subject of the investigation remains unclear at this time; however, the very fact of the searches indicates the seriousness of law enforcement’s intentions to establish the possible involvement of the higher leadership of the academy in potential corruption schemes and abuses. The background of this case has been developing for several years and has a deep political and economic component. In December 2019, it became known that Hadzal was suspected of interference in the activities of a law enforcement officer. In the following months, initial evidence surfaced of his possible involvement in illegal activities related to land. Specifically, in January 2020, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau reported suspicions of involvement in the illegal alienation of 15 hectares of strategic land owned by the NAAS, under Hadzal’s management. Large-scale accusations and new suspicions continued to emerge later. For example, on May 21, 2021, the General Prosecutor’s Office and NABU officially announced suspicions of receiving illicit benefits amounting to 4 million hryvnias. This posed a challenge for the academy’s leadership, especially considering that these evidences indicated signs of systemic corruption in land management and resource management. The most resonant event was the July inspection carried out by SBU officers in 2023, which also involved searches in Hadzal’s office. The main reason was suspicion of the possible transfer of over 150,000 hectares of NAAN land into private cultivation, accounting for one-third of the entire agricultural land use of the academy at that time. According to law enforcement estimates, such transactions could amount to up to 20 million dollars annually, indicating the scale of corruption schemes that could generate significant income for their participants and organizers. However, Hadzal himself denied any involvement of the academy in illegal financial operations and emphasized that the academy’s leadership did not benefit personally from the transfer of land into the control of individual persons. Overall, the situation surrounding the leadership of the NAAS continues to generate significant public resonance. Amid the investigative actions, many questions arise regarding the level of transparency and accountability of the higher leadership in such a strategically important sector as agriculture. At the same time, open criminal proceedings and searches of the leaders of large institutions point to serious issues in governance processes and oversight over public resources and land use. In political and civic circles, discussions have already begun about the possible consequences of this case for the future development of the agricultural sector, as well as for the system of public administration. Great attention is focused on whether this case will serve as an example of transparency and equality before the law for all levels of government and leadership, and on what exactly investigators have uncovered during their ongoing inquiry and whether they will find answers to the key questions that remain open today.