Kherson police officer caught in scheme with fake driving school certificates

In Kherson, law enforcement officers uncovered a scheme of illegal paperwork for drivers. One of the defendants, who works for the patrol police, has already been served a notice of suspicion and a measure of restraint has been chosen.

This is evidenced by the decision of the Zavodskyi District Court of Mykolaiv.

In Kherson, a patrol police inspector was served with a notice of suspicion, whom the investigation believes to be a participant in a scheme to issue fake documents about graduating from a driving school. According to law enforcement, the police officer helped the intermediary find clients who wanted to receive training documents in exchange for money without actually taking the courses.

As the investigation established, from September 2023 to February 2024, the patrol police inspector, using his official acquaintances, passed the data of people to the intermediary. The intermediary, in turn, agreed with an employee of the Talisman-Auto driving school to issue fictitious certificates of theoretical and practical driver training for a fee.

In the first case, the man who applied for the "service" paid UAH 8,000 for documents on allegedly completed training. The money was transferred to the intermediary's bank card, and the driving school employee issued the fake certificates. Part of the money was transferred to an employee of the educational institution.

In January 2024, the scheme was repeated: another woman agreed to pay UAH 10,500 for fake documents. The funds were transferred in parts - separately for "theory" and "practice". In a similar scenario, documents were produced on the successful completion of training, despite the lack of actual completion of the course.

Subsequently, in February 2024, another woman paid 2,500 hryvnias for the execution of documents on practical training only. In this case, fictitious certificates were also drawn up, and part of the illegal benefit was transferred to a driving school employee.

The investigation believes that the patrol policeman acted intentionally and repeatedly, facilitating the receipt of illegal benefit by a group of people. He is charged with aiding and abetting a bribe by an official of a private enterprise. The sanction of the article provides for three to seven years in prison with confiscation of property.

The police officer was officially notified of his suspicion. And the prosecutor's office asked the court to impose a measure of restraint in the form of round-the-clock house arrest, citing the risks of influencing witnesses, obstructing the investigation and repeating crimes.

The suspect pleaded not guilty, claimed that he was a combatant and had been wounded twice, and asked to be confined to his personal recognizance. The court refused to apply house arrest and imposed a preventive measure in the form of a personal commitment until February 1, 2026.

Last year, law enforcement officers exposed the head of one of the units of the Kherson Regional State Emergency Service and four accomplices, including a current and former police officer, a driving school employee, and an official of a territorial service center. The services cost an average of 20 thousand hryvnias per person, and were used by regional top officials and their acquaintances, among others.

Анна Бальчінос