The Public Prosecutor's Office of Crimea has opened criminal cases against 56 persons who headed state enterprises subordinated to the Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry of Ukraine during the annexation of Crimea, the press service of the ministry has reported, referring to Minister Oleksiy Pavlenko.

"We're thoroughly monitoring the state of property seized in Crimea. We're systemically monitoring property via court instances to confirm ownership rights to the property and file a full claim to refund damage. We're initiating the punishment of directors who were in a hurry to run up the flag of the aggressor during the annexation [of Crimea] and helped to seize state property. By the way, the occupants have dismissed each of them [from their posts], as no one needs traitors. We would do everything that they are put on the wanted list and appear before a tribunal," Pavlenko said.

Officials of some state enterprises under the control of the Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry of Ukraine during the occupation of Crimea by Russia, in violation of Ukrainian law, did not inform the profile ministry and law-enforcement agencies on the seizure of property and did not pass stamps and documents over to the ministry.

The ministry said that in early August a working group for managing state enterprises located on the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea was created. An advisor to the minister, Oleksandr Liyev, headed the group.