Zavodskyi District Court of Mykolaiv issued a verdict against the director of the Kherson driving school “Talisman-Auto”, Yuriy Knyha in the case of illegal issuance of driver’s licenses in the Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odesa regions.
This is reported by Center for Investigative Journalism with reference to the court’s verdict.
The court found Yuriy Knyha guilty on more than 200 counts.
According to the investigation, participants in the scheme helped those who wanted to obtain driver’s licenses for money, bypassing the lawful procedure.
The scheme had been operating since at least the summer of 2023. It involved employees of the service centers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) in three regions and representatives of driving schools. Clients were issued documents allegedly proving completion of training, and were also instructed on how to pass exams without problems and obtain driver’s licenses of categories A, A1, B and B1.
In court, Knyha admitted guilt and reached an agreement with the prosecutor. He was convicted of commercial bribery, abuse of influence and official forgery.
The court sentenced him to four years and eight months of imprisonment without confiscation of property. At the same time, he will not serve the sentence if he does not commit a new crime during the two-year probation period. The verdict has not yet come into force.
According to the Center for Investigative Journalism, earlier another participant in the scheme — driving school director Serhiy Berezin — received a suspended sentence in the same case.
Among the accused is also the former head of the personnel department of the Kherson region police Mykola Kucheriavyi. He was dismissed in August 2024, but in autumn 2025 the court reinstated him to his position.
The next hearing in Kucheriavyi’s case is scheduled for June 4.