Mykhailo Svyda: how a former customs officer became the developer of a controversial residential complex in Uzhhorod

Former Transcarpathian customs officer Mykhailo Svyda, after retiring, became the developer of the Radishcheva residential complex in Uzhhorod, and in August 2026 the Uzhhorod City District Court released him from criminal liability in a tax evasion case after he paid his tax obligations. The court decision concerned income from apartments in four buildings of the complex, where, according to case materials, in 2022–2025 years ownership rights were registered for 272 apartments with a total area of over 13,1 thousand sq. m.

Mykhailo Svyda worked for many years in the customs authorities of Zakarpattia. In 2016 he ended his service as deputy head of the Customs Control Organization Department of the Zakarpattia Customs. After that, his activities were connected with real estate. According to court materials, the land plot on which the buildings were constructed was owned by Mykhailo Svyda, and he himself acted as the project developer, media write. The Radishcheva complex consists of seven multi-story buildings. Construction began in 2019. In one of the buildings, where the developer is listed as Mykhailo Svyda, 87 apartments and an underground parking for 22 parking spaces are planned. Other properties were registered to legal entities and housing cooperatives that, according to investigative journalists, were linked to the former customs officer’s family. Separately in this story is the LLC Avtogaz. Until the end of 2022, among its owners were Mykhailo Svyda’s wife Marta and his son Oleksandr. Later the company was re-registered to Uzbek citizen Nurmatjon Nurmatov, and the charter capital, according to the investigation, changed from 2,4 million UAH to 500 UAH. Larisa Kurakh’s declaration, the wife of Oleksandr Svyda, also contains information about companies and assets linked to the family. The criminal proceeding against Mykhailo Svyda was registered on 25 March 2026 under Part Two of Article 212 of the Criminal Code — evasion of taxes in especially large amounts. In July he was notified of suspicion. According to the investigation, in 2022–2025 years Mykhailo Svyda received cash from future apartment buyers, using his status as landowner and project developer. Court materials indicate the sum 37 775 094,05 UAH. This concerns receipts for apartments in four buildings. In 2022 the investigation identified 16,83 million UAH of income, in 2023 — 16,14 million UAH, in 2024 — 3,51 million UAH, and in 2025 — about 1,3 million UAH. The total area of the apartments used in the calculation was 13 131,5 sq. m. The investigation believed that these incomes were not properly declared and that tax liabilities had not been paid. At the same time, the court did not establish Mykhailo Svyda’s guilt by a conviction. On 20 August 2026 the court granted the prosecutor’s petition and released him from criminal liability under the basis of Part Four of Article 212 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The proceeding was closed. Prior to this, Mykhailo Svyda filed an application for release from criminal liability and provided documents showing payment of the relevant amounts. The court ruling of 6 August states that copies of receipts and payment instructions, as well as a letter from the Main Department of the State Tax Service in Zakarpattia region, were attached to the prosecutor’s petition. After the closing of the proceeding, the sources of financing for the purchase of the land and the construction remain a separate question. This circumstance was noted by the journalistic investigation. Court case documents confirm Mykhailo Svyda’s status as owner of the land plot and project developer, however the cited court decision does not include a conclusion about the origin of the funds used to start the project. There are property assets held by other family members as well. According to the journalistic material, Mykhailo Svyda retained 12 real estate objects, including four land plots, and in the Radishcheva complex — parking spaces and non-residential premises. His son Oleksandr Svyda, according to the same data, owns 19 real estate objects and has a business related to residential construction. Oleksandr Svyda’s wife, Larisa Kurakh, is a judge of the Mukachevo City District Court. Documents from the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) and the High Council of Justice indicate that during a full audit of her declaration for 2022 year it was found that she did not disclose her husband’s corporate rights in LLC Nikole+ worth 10 million UAH, which amounted to 98,14% of the charter capital. The NACP did not, however, establish signs of a conflict of interest, illegal enrichment, or unjustified assets. Larisa Kurakh explained that she did not know about her husband’s corporate rights and did not have the opportunity to independently verify them by his taxpayer identification number. The High Council of Justice separately recorded the NACP’s findings regarding discrepancies in the declaration, as well as the circumstances under which those rights were not indicated. The family’s declarations also reflect vehicles and real estate used by its members. In particular, Larisa Kurakh declared use of a Range Rover 2019 year, while her husband used a Range Rover Sport 2025 year, registered to LLC Avtoban. According to the journalistic material, the owner of that company is their daughter Nikole Svyda.

Thus, the case against Mykhailo Svyda ended without a guilty verdict after payment of tax liabilities, and the court closed the proceeding under a special provision of the Criminal Code. At the same time, the case documents record more than 37,7 million UAH of income that the investigation linked to apartment sales, and the scale of development in Uzhhorod. Meanwhile, the family’s property and corporate ties have become the subject of separate attention by the NACP and journalistic investigations.