A large-scale scheme to organize fictitious education for foreign migrants was uncovered in Kyiv, overseen by a former advisor to the head of one of the capital's medical universities. The official helped foreigners obtain student ID cards and visas in exchange for bribes, which allowed them to legally stay in Ukraine without actually studying.
This scheme was made possible by forged documents certifying the migrants' enrollment in the university. Foreigners who used the official's services could stay in Ukraine for up to 5 years without attending any classes.
The suspect was arrested right at his workplace, when he was receiving another bribe — 33,000 hryvnias from a “student.” During the searches, law enforcement officers seized the money and other evidence of illegal activity.
For organizing this scheme, the former university advisor faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, as the investigation incriminates him with several articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
This case became another signal for law enforcement officers about serious abuses in the educational sector, which undermine trust in Ukrainian higher education institutions.
