“Leviathania” in Homel: Activist defrauded of house in central city

OAO TsentrLizing company, which have already been targeted in the investigation of illegal schemes’ case, continues to squeeze houses from dwellers of Homel.

Judicial authorities have taken the side of the notorious real estate developer.

It concerned the well-known building in the historical centre of the city in Knizhnaya Street, 10 as well. The owner of the house, an activist from Homel Kanstantsin Zhukouski, revealed the details in an interview to charter97.org website.

– Can you tell how long ago this process started and what is happening at the moment?

– It started 6 years ago, when our houses in Knizhnaya street were included in the plans of demolition. The developer offered flats instead. Later these flats were mentioned “in the case of Pilipets” over real estate frauds. Later the same developer, OAO TsentrLizing, offered a letter of guaranty for the flats in the house which was built nearby. But these flats were sold long ago, and we haven’t seen them. Last year the same firm offered me to choose a variant of a flat, relocation to which they were to guarantee me under Decree No.58, and though I have chosen a certain variant, it didn't work out, and the developer haven’t offered me anything. I filed lawsuits against OAO TsentrLizing to different courts, but I lost all lawsuits. And a month ago me and 8 more dwellers of the houses in Knizhnaya Street received summons to the court of Tsentralny district of Homel.

The action was filed by OAO TsentrLizing, they charge us with not negotiating with the developer for more than a year, in particular, with not signing the statement of disagreements. According to Decree №58, this statement is signed by three parties: the owner of the flat, the developer and a representative of the city executive committee. I didn’t see any representatives of the city authorities, or their signatures in this case, and developers visited me on the matter only once, on Saturday, when I was not at home. However, under the law, I was to receive a written notification from them to draw up a statement of disagreements. At the first session of the court I pointed to these violations of the law, and today I was the only one summoned to the second session of the court by Judge Alesya Osipava. No one from my neighbours received a summons. They probably decided first to “choke” me, as the most stubborn one.

- What the construction firm offers in return of your house?

- Their offers are about $30,000 lower than the market price of my house. A square metre in my house is counted by them by $200 less than a square metre in their buildings. And my house is a “fresh” one, it was decorated in 2010, and they offer flats without any decoration at all.

- Do you think that the actions of the court are connected with your active citizenship?

- Certainly. I pointed at obvious violations of the law by OAO TsentrLizing to the Prosecutor’s Office, and of Decree №58 in the first place. But neither the prosecutor’s office nor courts of different jurisdictions haven’t “noticed” any. They do not respond to my statements about violation of fire safety rules by this developer (their construction is registered 15 metres closer to my garage then permitted, and it is a gross violation). Once, right after the election in 2010, I was forced to build an anti-fire wall at my own expense. However, I had not been asked to do such things many years before the election.

We remind that for his public activities Kanstantsin Zhukouski experienced crackdown by the authorities many times. The last time he served 10 days’ administrative arrest in February this year, and after that he received threats from policemen.