The deputy head of a dacha settlement on the historic Borodino battlefield was found guilty Monday of land fraud leading to unauthorized construction at the historic site.
Maya Sklyuyeva, the deputy head of the Borodino dacha community, was convicted of fraudulently seizing four plots worth 10 million rubles ($312,000) on the property of the Borodino museum and nature reserve in the Moscow region's Mozhaisk district.
Sklyuyeva was also accused of exceeding her authority by reclassifying 10 plots on the historic battlefield, which is a protected area, as fit for construction. That allowed the owners to build dachas there despite restrictions on new building.
Prosecutors argued that the actions of Sklyuyeva and her four accomplices led to "violation of the content of the park," "distortion of a historic landscape" and harm to the "historic concept of the memorial."
The Mozhaisk district administration is seeking 10 million rubles in damages and has asked that the land in question be transferred to its care. Skluyeva disputes this claim, Interfax reported.
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