The land of the Hryshko National Botanical Garden in Kyiv has been transferred for residential development despite a ban, the press service of the State Audit Service of Ukraine reported.
The release notes that during an audit of the implementation of budget programs by the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and its institutions, the State Audit Service found violations in the financial activities of the Hryshko National Botanical Garden.
Namely, contrary to a direct legal prohibition, the land plot of the National Botanical Garden at 1 Sadovo-Botanichna (Timiryazevska) Street in Kyiv became the subject of an investment agreement, which provided for the construction of residential and non-residential buildings, part of which was to be acquired by the botanical garden.
For the past six years, the developer has been unable to implement the agreement because of the special security regime for the territory of the National Botanical Garden. At the same time, the institution has received cash, services, and other goods (including tulip bulbs and soil) worth UAH 2.6 million from the investor.
The release emphasizes that the M.M. Hryshko National Botanical Garden is a part of the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine, is an object of comprehensive protection and belongs to the lands of natural, historical and cultural designation, which are protected as a national treasure. The Law “On the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine” (Article 16) prohibits any economic and other activities that contradict the purpose of the reserve, including the construction of structures not related to its functioning.
