In Kyiv, the vice-chancellor of one of the universities was detained while receiving a bribe in the amount of 2 thousand US dollars. For this money, he promised to assist a conscript in entering graduate school, which provided an opportunity to receive a deferment from mobilization. As informs Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office, the event is related to the National University of Bioresources and Nature Management of Ukraine (NUBIP), and the detainee is vice-rector Valery Ishchenko.
According to the investigation, the appeal to the vice-rector was received from a resident of Kharkiv, who wanted to enroll in a full-time postgraduate course in order to avoid mobilization. The man asked the vice-rector to help him with admission, and he promised to solve the issue, despite the high competition among applicants. The vice-rector demanded 2,000 dollars for his “services”, assuring that he would help agree the issue with the examination board.
As a result, the 28-year-old man was accepted to one of the two budget positions in the specialty “public management and administration”, despite the fact that 12 people applied for these positions.
The arrest took place directly during the transfer of the bribe. The vice-rector was charged with suspicion, and the issue of choosing a preventive measure for him is currently being discussed.
This case highlights the seriousness of the problem of corruption in the educational sphere, especially in wartime conditions, when manipulation of university admissions can be used to evade military duty.
