The transfer of land to the agro-farm, which had been driving the residents of Baltyma away with its stench, was deemed illegal.

      A criminal case regarding the abuse of official powers in the conclusion of a purchase and sale agreement for a land plot has been initiated based on the materials of an inspection conducted by the prosecutor's office of Verkhnyaya Pyshma.

      Officials of the municipal formation of Sredneuralsk, abusing their official powers, disposed of the land plot in the interests of LLC "Agrofirma Baltym," which led to a violation of the legally protected interests of society and the state, reports the prosecutor's office of the Sverdlovsk region.

      As established during the inspection of compliance with the requirements of legislation in the field of land use, in May of last year, the Municipal Property Management of the Sredneuralsk administration transferred ownership of a land plot designated for agricultural use to LLC "Agrofirma Baltym" based on a purchase and sale agreement, which included water bodies within its boundaries.

      Under current legislation, such land plots must be classified as water fund lands, not agricultural lands. Furthermore, the water body is owned by the Russian Federation and cannot be privately owned.

      Thus, the purchase and sale agreement for the land plot was concluded in violation of the law. The prosecutor's office of the Sverdlovsk region has filed a lawsuit in court to recognize the results of the land surveying as invalid and the purchase and sale agreement as a null transaction.

      As a result of the prosecutor's inspection, a criminal case has been initiated by the preliminary investigation authority under part 1 of article 285 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (abuse of official powers). The investigation of the criminal case is under the control of the prosecutor's office of Verkhnyaya Pyshma.

      Earlier, residents of the village of Baltym (Verkhnyaya Pyshma urban district) complained that they were suffocating from the foul odors emanating from the agro-farm's waste. According to the villagers, it was discharging waste directly into the river and onto adjacent fields.