On November 5, 2009, the Moscow City Court left in force the
decision of the Tushino District Court regarding abuse of
rank by the dismissed head of the North-Western Administrative
District of Moscow Viktor Kozlov, who unlawfully granted 3,688
sq.m of land in the natural preservation zone of the Valley
of the Skhodnya River Park for lease to the ex-top officer
of the interior General Major Anatoly Petukhov.
According to the ruling of the court, the plot of land granted
on unlawful basis Petukhov has to be retrieved. The decision
is final and binding.
Trials on other plots of land in the Kurkino preservation
zone (including the plot granted by Kozlov to his wife) have
not finished yet.
“The Moscow City Court decision on Petukhov’s plot creates
a precedent for further retrieval and final clearing of the
whole natural territory unlawfully occupied by elite cottages,”
said YABLOKO’s leader Sergei Mitrokhin.
In June 2009 Mitrokhin together with journalists from the
Vesti-Moscow and Ren-TV television channels held deputy’s
inspection of the natural preservation zone the Valley of
the Skhodnya River in Kurkino, where elite cottages were built
on permission of Viktor Kozlov (then head of the administrative
district). Mitrokhin showed to the journalists the order signed
personally by Kozlov allotting a plot of land in the nature
reserve park to his wife. This case got much coverage in the
media. The next day after the deputy’s inspection the Moscow
City Duma decided to turn down the amendments into the law
“On Natural Preservation Zones” envisaging “corrections” of
the Valley of the Skhodnya River area that would allow cottage
construction in the nature reserve park.
In August 2009 head of the district Viktor Kozlov was dismissed
from his post. And three days after the dismissal the Tushino
District Court of Moscow satisfied the claim of the Public
Prosecutor on Kozlov’s abuse of rank and unlawful distribution
of the lands of the nature reserve park
See also:
Yabloko for Environmental
Safety
YABLOKO disrupted the plans on elimination
of a specially protected natural territory in Moscow. Press
Release. June 24, 2009
Video piece from Vesti-Moscow
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