How corruption schemes work in service centers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs: “The boss must be in the know”

Before the big war, officials tried to turn the state apparatus into a service that helps some quickly receive services and others work honestly. After February 24, 2022, the state was forced to focus on protecting territorial integrity and had to abandon everything else.

When it became clear that Ukraine would survive, service functions began to return. On March 14, 2022, the late Minister of Internal Affairs Denis Monastyrsky announced that his department was restoring the provision of administrative services. Citizens could again obtain foreign passports and driver's licenses. Corruption has also returned, writes Economic Truth. Persons who did not have time to pass their driver's license exams began to receive offers of the opportunity to do so “with a guarantee.”

How do the two most popular corruption schemes work in the service centers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD), how much do they earn from them and is it possible to eradicate them?

"Runners"

If a person wants to buy or sell a car, he will be forced to re-register ownership of the vehicle.

The procedure looks like this: the buyer and seller receive electronic coupons at a time convenient for them at any service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The first coupon is for inspection of the car by a state expert, the second is for paperwork.

The expert checks whether the identification number (VIN code) of the key parts of the car (stamped on the left front pillar of the body and in the lower left corner under the windshield) matches that indicated in the documents. This way they find out if the car is wanted. The inspection lasts 10-15 minutes, another half hour - re-issuance of documents.

However, the process often drags on. The reasons can be different: the expert is late, an unpredictable break, lack of coupons, air raids (then the centers do not work). If people don't want to wait, "runners" can help them.

“Knowing when the electronic queue is updated, these guys receive coupons in advance (there are no restrictions on one person - EP), and then sell others a place in the queue,” a former employee of the regional service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs explains to EP.

“Runners” for a fee will also tell you at what stage the consideration of a person’s application is and who should be contacted to speed up the process.

“These people are in cahoots with the service center employees. Some of the experts involved in re-registration of cars work for them, so queues for the whole day are a common occurrence for ordinary citizens.

“Runners” are private individuals, some of whom are former employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. They know how everything works and have personal acquaintances in service centers,” says a capital car reseller who often goes through the procedure of re-registering cars and encounters “runners.”

According to car resellers surveyed by the EP, the cost of the “runners” services is 1 thousand UAH, which includes an additional payment to interested service center employees.

“Runners” work not only with the re-registration of cars. For example, to sign up for a driving test at a service center, you also need to get a coupon. However, the system generates a limited number of coupons. Thus, one of the regional centers of the Kiev region generates only 20 coupons per week for category “C” (trucks).

A significant part of them are taken by “runners”, who charge up to 1 thousand UAH for the service.

Rights for money

To acquire a driver's license, even without knowing the rules, there are two ways.

The first option is via the Internet. The search results will be filled with the phrases “no risks - legally and quickly” or “get your license without problems.”

The second option is through word of mouth. “An acquaintance gave me the contact of the driving school where he got his license. There you need to say the password: “From my neighbor Nikolai from Shevchenko Street,” says a recent buyer of a license through one of the capital’s driving schools.

Sometimes educational institutions themselves offer help. Five weeks after starting training at such a driving school, the student takes a theory knowledge exam at the service center. You can get through this stage without problems, with a corruption component, using this scheme.

At a certain time, students who have paid for the service enter the office where the exam takes place. “So that there is no anti-corruption hero who betrays himself and can cause problems,” a former employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs service center tells EP.

Usually these are small groups - one to three students. They take turns reading the questions to the examiner and he names the correct answers. This should be captured by a video camera, but it has blind spots that give the examiner a lot of room for creativity.

After passing the theory exam, the student is allowed to participate in the practical part of training at a driving school. Next, a driving test takes place at the service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Even an experienced driver may not pass it the first time.

“I was asked to stay in an approved place in the private sector. I was confused and stood on the side of the road, but that’s not allowed. This is how they catch on. Three mistakes and you have to retake it,” says Oleg, who twice tried to pass the exam honestly.

The practical exam is also recorded on video. The device is a rear-view mirror that has two cameras: one directed forward to record the road situation, the second with a wide view into the cabin to record the movements and gaze of the student.

However, it also has blind spots. The camera will not see how the instructor “steers” from below the steering wheel or presses the reserve pedals for the training machine.

“Two unsuccessful attempts were made on a car with a manual transmission. After I paid 10 thousand hryvnia through a driving school, on the third attempt I was put in an electric car. Before the camera was turned on, I was told to drive at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour to meet the deadline. Throughout the route they told us what to do and how to do it,” says Oleg.

Why do you have to pay? Failure to pass the exam means repeated, expensive training. In addition, after its completion you will still have to take an internship.

How is corruption money divided? The ex-employees of the service centers did not answer this question; they only emphasized that the head of the service center “should be in the know.”

According to the executive director of the public union “Reanimation Package of Reforms” Mikhail Serebryakov, in order to eradicate rights trading, about a hundred changes need to be made to the legislation, but the emphasis should be on changing the rules for conducting exams.

During a practical test, it is necessary to ensure that the camera "sees" the lower part of the steering wheel and the movements of the arms and legs of those sitting in the front seat, he says. The expert also proposes to give driving schools the right to monitor video recordings of practical exams of students of any driving school with subsequent appeal of the results.

“When everyone sees everything, this is a signal to everyone that simply paying more will not work - the video may be seen by someone who is not in the scheme. Precedents with the deprivation of rights of the son of a deputy or the daughter of a judge who did not earn a driver’s license will be the first step towards the day when licenses will be issued without bribes,” Serebryakov sums up.

It is impossible to assess the scale of the described corruption schemes; only a few figures can be given. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in 2022 there were 950 thousand re-registrations of ownership of passenger cars and more than 340 thousand people received category “B” driver’s licenses.

According to activist Svyatoslav Litinsky, up to 8% of students pass the exam on their own, while the rest pay corruption rent. The ED sent a request to the Ministry of Internal Affairs regarding the announced schemes and ways to combat them, but did not receive a response within a month.

In early May, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Igor Klimenko, announced large-scale changes in this area. If everything goes as he said, then we can speak with cautious optimism about a significant reduction in corruption when obtaining a driver’s license.

Firstly, the classrooms where theoretical exams will be taken will be equipped with cameras by the end of 2023 that will make it impossible for blind spots to exist.

Secondly, changes will affect practical exams.

“We plan to equip about 150 cars with 360-degree cameras. They will be able to show the entire salon to see the student, instructor, tablet, possible violations and tips. These cars will be equipped with trackers that will determine the route of movement. There will also be a full audio recording from inside the car,” Klimenko noted.

According to ED sources, an initiative group consisting of representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and experts worked on these changes. “There is political will for change,” the latter say.