In Khmelnytskyi, someone was selling a driver's license exam for 18,000
In Khmelnytskyi, a man received 18,000 hryvnias for promising to help someone pass the practical driver’s license exam at a Ministry of Internal Affairs service center. The court found him guilty of receiving an unlawful benefit for influencing the decisions of officials, but the verdict does not contain evidence that the service center employees were actually involved in the scheme.
In Khmelnytskyi, a court approved a plea agreement with a man who promised, for money, to help someone pass the practical driver’s license exam. The man in question is Artem Pivnyuk from Balamutivka. He was found guilty under Part 2 of Article 369-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—receiving an unlawful benefit for influencing the decision of a public official. The essence of the case is simple: the man was not an employee of the regional service center, but claimed he could influence the people who administer the exams.
There was a “price list” for the exam
According to the case file, on January 27 at approximately 3:22 p.m., Pivnyuk called a citizen and offered to help him pass the practical driving test. During the conversation, he stated that influencing officials at Territorial Service Center No. 6841 would cost approximately 15,000 hryvnias. Later, the men met at the DTSAAF premises in Khmelnytskyi. There, according to the case file, they discussed a specific amount.
The cost depended on how many attempts the person would need to pass the practical exam. For passing the exam on the second attempt, they asked for 15,000 hryvnias. If, however, the person needed to pass it on the first attempt, the amount increased to 18,000 hryvnias. The client agreed to the more expensive option. After that, he was supposed to sign up for the next available practical exam.
The broker was detained after the money was handed over
On March 4, Pivnyuk received 18,000 hryvnias from the man. After the money was handed over, he was detained by operatives from the National Police’s Department of Internal Security. Thus, the case went to court not because of whether the exam was failed or passed, but because money was received in exchange for a promise to influence the decisions of officials.
This is a key point in this story. The verdict contains no evidence that an employee of Service Center No. 6841 agreed to help the client or actually interfered with the conduct of the exam. Furthermore, the court document does not name any service center employee as a participant in the scheme.
The man pleaded guilty
On April 27, Pivnyuk signed a plea agreement with a prosecutor from the Khmelnytskyi Regional Prosecutor’s Office. He fully admitted his guilt. The court took into account several mitigating circumstances. In particular, these included sincere remorse and cooperation in the investigation of the criminal offense.
Additionally, the man had no prior criminal record. Separately, the court took into account that Pivnyuk donated 100,000 hryvnias to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The court did not find any circumstances that would have aggravated the sentence. After reviewing the agreement, the court approved it and found the man guilty.
What Is Known About the Service Center
The case involves the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Territorial Service Center No. 6841 in Khmelnytskyi. It was there that the driver’s license exams took place, for which, according to the case file, the intermediary’s client was supposed to register.
The center is located at 11/1 Zakhidno-Okruzhna Street. Pivnyuk’s meetings with the client and the transfer of money did not take place on the premises of the service center. According to the case file, they met on the grounds of the DTSAAF at 3 Berezneva Street. In other words, the money was handed over outside the Ministry of Internal Affairs Service Center.
Could the exam really have been “arranged”?
The court’s verdict does not confirm that passing the practical exam was guaranteed due to an agreement with the examiner. Similarly, the document contains no information about a specific employee of the service center who allegedly agreed to such a proposal. Another fact became legally significant in this case: the man received money in exchange for a promise to influence the official’s decision.
It was precisely for this reason that he was charged under Article 369-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Therefore, it is not possible to claim that service center employees took bribes or participated in this scheme based solely on this verdict. At the same time, the story itself illustrates how intermediaries operate when they offer drivers “help” with passing exams in exchange for money.
In this case, the middleman named a specific amount, offered various options depending on the number of attempts, and ultimately received 18,000 hryvnias. After the money was handed over, he was detained by law enforcement officers. This was reported by .
As a reminder, the suspect, Prosecutor Kropiva, oversaw renovations at the Prosecutor General’s residence in Kozin.
Earlier reports indicated that NABU and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) are conducting a large-scale special operation at the Office of the Prosecutor General regarding a case of possible “protection” of fraudulent call centers.
Prosecutor General Kravchenko disappeared after the NABU and SAP operation began. According to sources in political circles speaking to UP, Kravchenko drove into the government quarter, after which no one saw him.
Later, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko resurfaced and stated that he had nothing to do with covering up for illegal call centers and had not given any instructions to facilitate their operations.
