Position: member of the "Trust" parliamentary group.
Sphere of corrupt activity: acquisition of state land.
Region of corruption activity: Zakarpatya.
Qualification: Horvat's actions were qualified according to the characteristics of the crime provided for in Part 5 of Art. 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Status: at large.
Story of the case: on October 24, 2023, Robert Horvath, a majoritarian people's deputy from the "Trust" parliamentary group, was informed of the suspicion of taking over land plots with an area of more than 320 hectares, which caused losses to the state of more than UAH 123 million.
Also, NABU detectives informed three more persons involved in this crime about the suspicion, namely the former head of the Main Department of the State Geocadastre of Zakarpattia region, the ex-director of a state-owned enterprise and the director of a private enterprise. The actions of persons were classified according to the characteristics of the crime provided for in Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
As part of the pre-trial investigation, it was established that in 2016-2019, the People's Deputy of Ukraine, having influence over the officials of the Main Department of the State Geocadastre of Zakarpattia Oblast, developed a criminal scheme for acquiring state land plots. These lands were in constant use of the State Enterprise "Leanka".
Thus, the director of the state-owned enterprise refused the right to use plots with a total area of 323 hectares and applied to the State Geocadastre State Administration of the region. After the termination of the right to use these lands, in accordance with the criminal scheme, the head of the State Geocadastre State Administration of the region transferred these plots to pre-determined natural persons, who later sold them to a company controlled by the organizer of the scheme. As a result of the implementation of this scheme, more than UAH 123 million in losses were caused to the interests of the state.
Already on November 6, 2023, the High Anti-Corruption Court chose Horvat as a preventive measure in the form of a bail of 26.8 million hryvnias with the imposition of a number of obligations. The politician was required to wear an electronic bracelet, hand in foreign passports, arrive at the first request, notify about a change of residence and other obligations.
At the end of January 2024, the pre-trial investigation was completed in the case of a People's Deputy of Ukraine, the former head of the State Geocadastre Directorate of one of the regions, the former director of a state enterprise, the director of a private enterprise and a lawyer, who are suspected of taking over land plots with an area of more than 320 hectares.
In July 2025, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office sent an indictment to the court against MP Robert Horvat and four other people for seizing land in Zakarpattia, which caused almost UAH 127 million in losses to the state.
On July 18, 2025, the SAPO and NABU sent an indictment to the Supreme Court of Criminal Appeals against the current People's Deputy of Ukraine, former head of the Main Department of the State Geocadastre in the Transcarpathian region, former director of the state enterprise "Agroindustrial Firm "Leanka", director of a private enterprise and lawyer, who were exposed in the seizure of land plots with an area of over 320 hectares, which caused losses to the state of almost UAH 127 million
At the end of July, it became known that the High Anti-Corruption Court had scheduled a preparatory hearing for August 5 in the case of MP Robert Gorvat and four other people accused of seizing land in Transcarpathia, which caused almost UAH 127 million in losses to the state.
To schedule a preparatory court hearing at the HACC for August 5, 2025 at 09:15 in criminal proceedings on charges of: (Gorvat) in committing a criminal offense under Part 3 of Article 27, Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine; (Yuriy Shestakova) in committing a criminal offense under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine; (Svitlana Melnychuk) in committing a criminal offense under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine; (Vitaliy Hanycha) in committing a criminal offense under Part 5 of Article 27, Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine; (Volodymyr Kostyuchenko) in committing a criminal offense under Part 5 of Article 27, Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine
Persons potentially involved in the corruption scheme:
- Svitlana Melnychuk is the former head of the Main Department of State Geocadastre in Zakarpattia Oblast.
On November 3, 2023, the High Anti-Corruption Court set her a bail of UAH 1.34 million as a preventive measure. She was given the following obligations: to appear upon first demand; not to leave the Transcarpathian region without permission; to report any change of residence and/or work; not to communicate with witnesses and other suspects, and to surrender her foreign passports. However, on February 6, 2024, the High Anti-Corruption Court reduced the bail set for Svitlana Melnychuk from UAH 1.34 million to UAH 908,400.
- Yuriy Shestakov is the former director of the state-owned enterprise "Agroindustrial Firm "Leanka".
On November 3, 2023, the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court set him a bail of UAH 2.68 million. Shestakov was also assigned the following obligations: to appear upon first demand; to report a change of place of residence and work; not to leave the Transcarpathian region without permission; to refrain from communicating with other suspects and witnesses; to hand over foreign passports and to wear an electronic bracelet. According to the SAPO prosecutor, Shestakov, as the director of the agricultural company "Leanka", refused to permanently use land plots on the territory of the Irlyavsk village council of the Transcarpathian region. At the same time, he could not do this without the consent of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, which is the governing body of the State Enterprise "Leanka". The land went to the company "STOV "Continent" LLC, which, according to the investigation, is controlled by People's Deputy Horvat.
- Director of LLC "STOV "Continent" Vitaliy Ganych.
It is currently unknown whether any preventive measure has been imposed on Hanich.
Assets: Robert Horvat declared UAH 440.6 thousand in salary for 2022.
In the pre-war year 2021, his salary in the Verkhovna Rada was UAH 529.6 thousand.
The MP's bank accounts had 134.2 thousand UAH in 2022. He keeps another 220 thousand UAH, 90 thousand dollars, and 25 thousand euros in cash.
Robert Horvat owns three land plots in the village of Turya Remeta with a total area of about 1.5 hectares, an apartment in Uzhhorod with an area of 65.9 m2 and a Lexus ES 350 from 2008. This information is also present in the politician's declaration for 2021. He also indicated that in 2022 he provided charitable assistance for a total amount of UAH 638 thousand.
The wife of the People's Deputy Olga Horvat declared UAH 13.1 million in income from entrepreneurial activity. According to Youcontrol, this is retail trade in pharmaceutical, medical and cosmetic products in specialized stores. She has UAH 66.4 thousand in bank accounts, and in her car fleet - a 1995 Mercedes-Benz van and a 2019 Lexus CT200h worth UAH 670.3 thousand.
The daughter of People's Deputy Agnes Horvat, who owns shares in the companies "Agroprom Zakarpattia", "Zakarpatvapnyak" and "Continent", as well as the company "Funduk Zakarpattia" and the supermarket "Dastor", earned UAH 6.8 million in 2022. The girl has more than 768 thousand UAH in her accounts, another 670 thousand UAH, 47.3 thousand dollars and 34.3 thousand euros in cash. Agnes Horvat owns a house with a plot of land and an apartment in Uzhgorod with a total value of over UAH 1.6 million and a 2010 Skoda Octavia A5 for UAH 125,000.
Persons who should have responded to corruption schemes:
In the case of Horvat's case, law enforcement agencies reacted in time. In particular, SAP and NABU dealt with his affairs.
Scandals: according to the "Our Money" website, 54 people's deputies did not declare their business in their declarations for 2014. Among them is Robert Horvath.
Journalists also found out that when in October 2019, the People's Deputies voted for draft law No. 1031, which tried to restore punishment for illegal enrichment and establish civil confiscation of unreasonably acquired property, Horvart abstained.
The people's deputy pressed the "against" button during the vote and in 2023, when it was decided whether the deputies' income declarations would eventually be open to everyone.
But Horvat supported President Zelenskyi's proposal on "improving responsibility for declaring false information and failure to provide the subject of the declaration with a declaration of a person authorized to perform the functions of the state or local self-government" (bill No. 4651). And at the same time, he voted for two more scandalous amendments that nullified the idea of this draft law.
Yes, thanks to, among others, Horvat, the deputies adopted the high-profile amendment No. 50 authored by People's Deputy Ihor Fries to the aforementioned draft law - the same one that makes it impossible to punish for lying about the property of relatives even if the declarant knows about the property.
Horvat Robert Ivanovych supported the amendment of Oleksiy Kovalev for the abolition of prison terms for officials who did not submit income declarations.
Sources:
People's deputies from Transcarpathia are suspected of misappropriating hundreds of hectares of land
The anti-corruption court chose a preventive measure against People's Deputy Horvat
How a current MP was suspected of embezzling land, but a minister was not: details of a corrupt deal
YOUCONTROL - FOP HORVAT OLGA YOSYPIVNA
People's deputy from Transcarpathia, Robert Horvat, published the income declaration for 2022