The hearing in the case of the director of a granite quarry in the Mykolaiv region has been postponed because the prosecutor did not manage to review the case files within two months

In the case of Oleрh Babin, the former head of PJSC «UMR «Hydroenergobud», who is suspected of illegally quarrying granite, the proceedings have been adjourned because the prosecution did not have enough time to review all the case materials.

This was reported by a correspondent for NikVesti.

It should be noted that Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko announced the charges against Oleh Babin back in August 2025, stating a week later that protecting business during wartime requires effective safeguards against pressure and unlawful interference.

According to the investigation, the case dates back eight years and concerns the illegal extraction of over 116,000 cubic metres of granite. The amount of damage caused was estimated at over 340 million hryvnias. On 21 August 2025, the Central District Court of Mykolaiv imposed a preventive measure on the official in the form of night-time house arrest for a period of two months; however, on 17 December, the appeal court changed this to a personal undertaking. The Domanivka District Court is currently continuing the criminal proceedings.

The case in the Domanivka District Court is being heard by Judge Oksana Kryvenko. At the start of the hearing on 25 May, she announced that the court had received a motion from the State Environmental Inspectorate of the South-Western District regarding the hearing of the proceedings without the participation of representatives of the agency. The defence stated that it had no objection to the hearing proceeding without the victim.

«We have no objection to their absence, especially since, at a preparatory hearing, the failure of the injured party or the civil claimant to appear does not prevent the case from being heard, provided they have been duly notified. However, we will subsequently request that the representatives personally file the civil claim during the court hearing,» noted the defence counsel for the head of PJSC «UMR «Hydroenergobud».

Konstantin Levin, a prosecutor at the Voznesensk District Prosecutor’s Office, also supported the possibility of holding the hearing without a representative from the environmental inspectorate.

At the same time, the defence filed three complaints regarding the inaction of the investigator and the prosecuting prosecutor in the case. According to lawyer Pavlo Romanenko, one of these complaints concerns the failure to comply with the defence’s request to question a witness whose testimony the prosecution relies on. This refers to the individual through whom, according to the prosecution, Oleh Babin was allegedly informed of the suspension of the special permit for subsoil use.

The lawyer stated that the investigator had agreed in writing to the need for such questioning, but in fact no action had been taken to locate or question the witness.

«The pre-trial investigation body stated that our motion is relevant and significant to the case. However, whilst reviewing the materials of the criminal proceedings, the defence established that no steps had been taken to identify this witness,» said Pavlo Romanenko.

The second complaint concerned the refusal to conduct a handwriting analysis. The lawyer noted that the prosecution refers to correspondence with the State Geological Service as evidence that Oleh Babin was duly notified of the suspension of the permit. Although the defendant himself repeatedly stated during questioning that the signature on the documents was not his.

The lawyer also stated that the defence had repeatedly offered the prosecutor the opportunity to review the materials gathered by the defence during the pre-trial investigation, but, according to the lawyer, the prosecutor had failed to do so.

«The defence travelled to Mykolaiv on around seven occasions to review the eight-volume case file. We repeatedly informed the prosecution of our readiness to provide the materials for review, but the prosecutor never took any steps to examine them,» said lawyer Pavlo Romanenko.

In the lawyer’s view, the prosecutor is deliberately delaying access to the materials in order to prevent their subsequent use during the court proceedings.

The prosecutor responded by stating that the prosecution needed time to review the complaints submitted and formulate a legal position.

«As the defendant’s defence counsel noted, the complaints were provided to the prosecution before the start of the court hearing. In this regard, a certain amount of time is required to properly review the documents and formulate a position on them,» noted prosecutor Konstiantyn Levin.

Lawyer Pavlo Romanenko stated that he had no objections.

«The defence will not stand in the way. We are in favour of adversarial proceedings and equality of the parties. Therefore, I have no objection to granting the prosecutor’s request. Perhaps he will now familiarise himself with the materials. As for the question of appointing expert examinations, I ask that this be considered at the next court hearings,» said the lawyer.

Following this, the prosecutor requested an adjournment of the preliminary hearing to review the defence’s submissions. The court adjourned the hearing until 22 June.

In a conversation with NikVesti, Oleh Babin stated that he considers the case to be fabricated.

«The case against us was fabricated because our licence was suspended, but the company continued to operate. We paid taxes, carried out all necessary work and notified the relevant authorities. A few years later, the case was reopened and an investigation began,» he said.

The defendant denies the charges of illicit enrichment brought against him and describes the amount of the alleged losses as unrealistic.

«If this were a case of illicit enrichment, those funds would have had to go to me personally. But the company was operating officially, and as director I could not have taken that money for myself. The sum of over 340 million hryvnias is unrealistic, especially for that time,» stated Oleh Babin.

Meanwhile, prior to the court hearing, a protest was held outside the courthouse by employees of PJSC «UMR «Hydroenergobud» and the company’s new management. The participants stated that they do not agree with the charges brought against them and consider the case to be unfounded.

They emphasised that there was no question of illegal extraction; these were merely violations that occurred many years ago.

«This was not illegal extraction; it was a violation. It happened back in 2018. Why this case has been revived in 2026, I cannot say. The employees are outraged; there are fears of a large fine and the possible closure of the company,» the protesters noted.

The company’s new director, Taras Mushtai, stated that the company is currently operating, paying taxes and wages, but potential financial penalties could have critical consequences.

«When I looked at the case files and saw the sums involved, I realised that if they were imposed on the company, it would simply go bankrupt and cease operations. In my opinion, the situation requires a thorough investigation,» he said.

The company’s health and safety engineer, Valentyna Samoilenko, noted that, according to her, the company has all the necessary permits and operates within the law.

«I have been working at this company since 1981. We have always had all the necessary permits: a special permit for subsoil use, permits for high-risk work, for emissions, declarations and others. The company operates legally,» she noted.

Oleh Konopatskyi, a worker with over 20 years’ service, expressed concern about the possible closure of the company and job losses.

«I wouldn’t want to look for another job. I’ve been working here for many years and have put a lot of effort into it. I live close to my workplace. Finding a new job at our age isn’t easy. Wages are paid regularly; I have no complaints. I wouldn’t want the company to close down, because people will be left without work,» he said.

It should be noted that, after a hiatus of almost three years, the NABU and the SAPO have reignited one of the most high-profile anti-corruption cases — the case involving the former head of the Supreme Court from Mykolaiv, Vsevolod Kniazev. Three serving Supreme Court judges and one retired judge have been placed under suspicion.